Cessna 210A accident near Quartzsite, Arizona, April 6, 1985
On April 6, 1985 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 210A, registered N66MG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Quartzsite, Arizona (Desert Gardens airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1985 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Quartzsite, Arizona · Desert Gardens · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210A · all 210As on the register
- Registration
- N66MG · registry record · serial 21057556
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER OF THE AIRSTRIP REPORTED THAT HE OBSERVED THE ACFT TOUCHDOWN WITH ITS LEFT WHEEL 2 TO 3 FT LEFT OF THE IMPROVED PORTION OF THE RWY. THEREAFTER THE ACFT ROLLED APRX PARALLEL TO THE RWY UNTIL ITS LEFT WING HIT THE TOP OF A 10 FT TREE BESIDE THE RWY. THE ACFT THEN SWERVED INTO A DIRT BERM AND WAS FURTHER DAMAGED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,015 hours in all; 224 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1,805 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 1984; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 27, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.