Cessna T210L accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona, June 6, 1990
On June 6, 1990, a Cessna T210L, registered N732KD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona (Marble Canyon airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS BY THE PILOT AND HIS DELAY IN ATTEMPTING A GO-AROUND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN, UNFAVORABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT, AND OBJECTS BEYOND THE RUNWAY AND OVERRUN AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1990
- Place
- Marble Canyon, Arizona · Marble Canyon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N732KD · no longer on the register · serial 21061565
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE PLT MADE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO LAND ON RWY 3 AT THE MARBLE CANYON ARPT, WHICH SLOPED UPWARD TO THE NNE. ON THE APCH, HE NOTED A QUARTERING TAIL WIND, BUT ELECTED TO LAND UPHILL ON THE RWY. LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE WAS NOTED BELOW 700' AGL, & THE TAILWIND SEEMED TO INCREASE BELOW 250' AGL. THE PLT STATED, 'THE AIRPLANE FLOATED AT APROX 200-150 AGL AND I DECIDED TO GO AROUND APPLYING FULL THROTTLE . . . AT THE TIME OF POWER APPLICATION, HEAVY SINK AND MODERATE TO SEVER TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED . . . THE PLANE DID NOT CLIMB SO THE POWER WAS CUT . . .' SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CONTD BEYOND THE DEP END OF THE RWY & COLLIDED WITH A FENCE, TREES, RETAINING WALL & A PARKED VEHICLE BEFORE STOPPING. ESTIMATES OF THE WIND (FM THE ARPT MGR, WITNESSES & PLT) VARIED FROM THE NE, NW, W-SW, & S AT 5 TO 25 KTS & GUSTING. THE RWY WAS LOCATED BESIDE THE COLORADO RIVER WITH CLIFFS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RIVER. ARPT ELEV WAS 3603' & THE TEMP WAS ABOUT 85 DEG.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,908 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 144 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 1,792 as pilot in command; 226 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aviation Services West
The flight
- Departed from: LAS Las Vegas NV at 11:30 pm
- Destination: L41
- Runway 3, 3,715 ft by 68 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.