Cessna 210 accident near Riverside, California, October 6, 1990
On October 6, 1990 at about 11:30 am local time, a Cessna 210, registered N9466T, was destroyed in an accident near Riverside, California (Flabob airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPAIRMENT OF THE PILOT FROM USE OF DRUGS (COCAINE), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE (OR ALTITUDE) FROM THE MOUNTAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE PILOT'S PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDTION (DEPRESSION).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 1990 · about 11:30 am local time
- Place
- Riverside, California · Flabob · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N9466T · no longer on the register · serial 57266
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TOOK THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE OWNER AND FLEW IT FROM AN AIRPORT NEAR HIS RESIDENCE. AFTER ABOUT 25 MINUTES, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE WEST SIDE OF MT RUBIDOUX, WHICH WAS ABOUT ONE MILE EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE RISING TERRAIN WHILE IN A NEAR LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE. ACQUAINTANCES REPORTED THE PILOT WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, HAVING FLOWN FROM THE AIRPORT FOR OVER 10 YEARS. REPORTEDLY, HE HAD RECENTLY BECOME UNEMPLOYED AND WAS DEPRESSED. TOXOCOLOGY RESULTS INDICATED THE PRESENCE OF COCAINE AND BENZOYLECGONINE IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD AT LEVELS OF 340 AND 1330 NG/ML, RESPECTIVELY.
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: 6,000 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 12, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RIR Riverside CA at 11:05 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 am from ONT, 11 miles away
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.