Cessna T210N accident near White Mountain, Arizona, April 18, 1985
On April 18, 1985 at about 6:17 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N2497U, was substantially damaged in an accident near White Mountain, Arizona. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 18, 1985 · about 6:17 pm local time
- Place
- White Mountain, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N2497U · no longer on the register · serial 21064788
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CRUISING AT 12,000 FT MSL, THE ACFT BEGAN PICKING UP ICE. THE PLT CONTINUED FLYING TOWARD HIS INTENDED DESTINATION & CLIMBED TO 14,000 FT MSL. THE ACFT'S WINDSHIELD COMPLETELY ICED OVER. THE PLT LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT & IT WENT INTO AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT DURING WHICH TIME TWO PENCILS CAME OUT OF THE PLT'S POCKET & REPORTEDLY 'FLEW UP TO THE WINDSHIELD.' THE ACFT'S AIRSPEED EXCEEDED REDLINE DURING THE DESCENT. THE PLT REGAINED CONTROL AT ABOUT 7500 FT MSL WHEN THE ACFT DESCENDED THROUGH THE CLOUD BASE. THE PLT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER MISHAP AT A NEARBY ARPT. EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT ITS RUDDER WAS PARTIALLY RIPPED FROM ITS HINGE & THE VERTICAL STABILIZER WAS TWISTED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,078 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 5:05 pm
- Destination: SDL Scottsdale AZ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:15 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.