Cessna P210N accident near Prescott, Arizona, January 18, 2025
On January 18, 2025 at about 7:10 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna P210N, registered N4626K, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Prescott, Arizona (Prescott Rgnl/Ernest A Love Fl airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2025 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Prescott Rgnl/Ernest A Love Fl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N, built 1979 · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4626K · registry record · serial P21000244
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 18, 2025, about 1210 Mountain standard time, a Cessna P210N, N4626K, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Prescott, Arizona. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The student pilot reported that following a local instructional flight, the tower controller cleared them to enter the airport traffic pattern for runway 3R. As the airplane was about 200 ft above ground level (agl), the student noticed that his rate of descent was excessive and increased the throttle setting; however, the engine power setting remained unchanged. The student pilot informed the flight instructor about the lack of engine response and the flight instructor verified that the throttle setting was full forward, switched the fuel selector valve from RIGHT to LEFT, and set the mixture to full rich. The instructor then assumed control and elected to execute a forced landing. About 50 ft agl, the flight instructor reduced the throttle to idle, moved mixture to idle cut off, and turned the fuel selector valve to OFF. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard and subsequently bounced multiple times before it slid off the side of an embankment, just short of a roadway. The right-wing was substantially damaged. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,222.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 12, 2025; 1.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Wyeth Family Trust
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 03R/, 7,619 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:00 am from KPRC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25LA084.