Cessna T210N accident near Pinon, Arizona, July 12, 1990
On July 12, 1990 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N5393A, was destroyed in an accident near Pinon, Arizona (Pinon airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT DURING THE LANDING, HER DELAY IN INITIATING A GO-AROUND (ABORTED LANDING), AND HER FAILURE TO REMAIN CLEAR OF POWER LINES ON RISING TERRAIN DURING THE ABORTED LANDING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, RISING TERRAIN AND THE OBSTACLE (POWER LINE) OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN SHORT FIELD OPERATIONS AT HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, AND INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE BY COMPANY/OPERATOR MANAGEMENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1990 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pinon, Arizona · Pinon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5393A · no longer on the register · serial 21063410
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT WAS SCHEDULE TO TAKE PSGRS TO A PVT, UNATTENDED, DIRT STRIP NR A WORK SITE. PERMISSION TO LND AT THE STRIP WAS NOT OBTAINED, THO PRIOR PERMISSION WAS REQD. THE STRIP WAS ROUGH; DRAINAGE AT THE APCH END OF RWY 1 HAD ERODED THE GND, MAKING ITS EFFECTIVE LENGTH ABT 2800 FT. ALSO, THERE WAS NO WINDSOCK AT THE STRIP, ITS ELEV WAS 6315 FT & THE DENSITY ALT WAS ABT 9000 FT. A WITNESS RPRTD THE PLT LNDD ON RWY 1, JUST BYD THE MIDPOINT. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT'S WINGS WERE SEEN TO ROCK BACK & FORTH, THEN THE ACFT BCM AIRBORNE AGAIN. DRG A GO-ARND (ABORTED LNDG), THE ACFT WAS CLIMBING OVR RISING TRRN NORTH OF THE STRIP, WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE (ABT 90 FT ABV THE RWY ELEV) & CRASHED. THE PLT HAD LNDD WITH A SLGT TAILWIND. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FND. THE PLT LACKED EXPERIENCE IN LNDG ON SHORT STRIPS WITH HI DENSITY ALT. THE LNDG GEAR & FLAPS WERE FND IN THE RETRACTED PSN. FLAP SETTING OF 10 TO 20 DEG WAS RCMDD FOR SHORT FLD/ROUGH FLD/SOFT FLD/MIN GND RUN TKOF. TKOF DSTC OF 2200 FT WAS REQD TO CLR 50 FT OBSTACLE.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 143 in the last 90 days; 1,860 as pilot in command; 1,018 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R(1) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4E0 Taylor AZ
- Destination: 93V
- Runway 1, 3,200 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N5393A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.