Cessna 210D accident near Cobalt, Idaho, March 30, 1994
On March 30, 1994 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 210D, registered N3820Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cobalt, Idaho (Taylor Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT SELECTED UNSUITABLE TERRAIN FOR LANDING. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE WET RUNWAY AND RISING TERRAIN THAT PRECLUDED A GO-AROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1994 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cobalt, Idaho · Taylor Ranch
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210D · all 210Ds on the register
- Registration
- N3820Y · no longer on the register · serial 21058320
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LANDING ON THE 2300-FT TURF STRIP, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE AIRPLANE BEFORE OVERRUNNING THE UPWIND END INTO A CREEK. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE GRASS WAS COVERED WITH A HALF-MELTED COAT OF FROST RENDERING THE BRAKES INEFFECTIVE; THE TEMPERATURE WAS 35 DEGS F. RISING TERRAIN AT THE UPWIND END PRECLUDED A GO-AROUND. THE PILOT ALSO REPORTED THAT HE HAD NOT FLOWN INTO THE AIRSTRIP FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,845 hours in all; 2,166 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 3,845 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,486 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 1994; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A5B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOI Boise ID at 1:45 pm
- Destination: Cobalt
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.