# Accident 19990120000609A: Cessna P210N, Albuquerque, NM, January 20, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 20, 1999, 15:27 local time - Place: Albuquerque, NM - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.1891° N, 106.5005° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1891&lon=-106.5005&mi=10 - Aircraft: N79NL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N79NL-1999-04-12) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna P210N (registry code 2073454, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-p210n) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA P210N - Reported engine: CONT TSIO520P - People aboard: 3 - Fatal injuries: 3 - Pilot flight hours: 1,345 total, 592 in this make and model, 14 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99FA034](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99FA034) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990120000609A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. PILOT REPORTED THAT BOTH VACUUM SYSTEMS AND GYRO HAD FAILED AND REQUESTED ASSISTANCE. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED AND WAS DESTROYED. THE 2 POB SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES. OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.19) ON JANUARY 20, 1999, AT 1528 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA P210N, N79NL, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT BROKE UP IN FLIGHT AND COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN IN THE SANDIA MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS AREA, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO. THE INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, AT 1343. ACCORDING TO NTAP DATA AND TAPE RECORDED RADIO COMMUNICATIONS, THE AIRPLANE WAS AT FL220 WHEN THE PILOT TOLD THE ALBUQUERQUE AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER THAT HE HAD SUSTAINED A "DUAL VACUUM PUMP FAILURE" AND THOUGHT HE HAD BEEN IN A SPIN. WHEN TOLD CLOUD BASES IN THE AREA WERE BETWEEN 12,000 AND 13,000 FEET AGL, THE PILOT ADVISED HE WAS DESCENDING. THE PILOT WAS THEN TOLD TO CONTACT APPROACH CONTROL. WHEN HE DID SO, HE ADVISED THAT HE THOUGHT HE HAD "JUST DONE A ROLL," AND THAT HE NEEDED HELPHE ALSO STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRICAL ARTIFICIAL HORIZON AND COMPASS BACKUPS, BUT THAT THEY "DIDN'T AGREE." SHORTLY THEREAFTER, RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST. WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING A WING BREAK OFF FROM THE AIRPLANE, WHICH THEN SPIRALED VERTICALLY TO THE GROUND. (.4) THE PILOT REPORTED A DUAL VACUUM PUMP FAILURE WHILE FLYING IFR AT FL220. DESPITE HAVING A STANDBY ELECTRIC ARTIFICIAL HORIZON, AIRCRAFT CONTROL WAS LOST DURING THE PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO DESCEND TO 13,000 FEET (REPORTED CLOUD BASE). THE AIRFRAME WAS OVERSTRESSED AND THE RIGHT WING FAILED. LABORATORY EXAMINATION OF THE VACUUM-DRIVEN GYROSCOPES DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF HIGH ROTATION AT IMPACT. BOTH VACUUM PUMPS BORE SIGNATURES INDICATIVE OF FAILURE PRIOR TO IMPACT. NOT ENOUGH OF THE CHECK VALVE MANIFOLD REMAINED TO DETERMINE ITS OPERATIONAL STATUS. (-23)PILOT REPORTED LOSS OF DUAL VACUUM SYSTEM FOR INSTRUMENTS. PILOT REPORTED HE WAS AT 23,000 IFR. PILOT ASKED FOR HELP TO DECEND BELOW CLOUDS AND PROCEED TO LIBERAL, KS. PILOT REPORTED HIS ELECTRICAL BACK-UP INSTRUMENTS DID NOT AGREE AND HE THOUGHT HE HAD JUST DONE A ROLL. PILOT WANTED TO LAN D AT ALBUQUERQUE. HIS LAST CALL WAS "WE'RE DEAD". AIRCRAFT WAS WITNESSED BY SEVERAL PEOPLE DECENDING STRAIGHT DOWN WHEN IT CAME OUT OF THE CLOUDS. ONE WING CAME OFF AND THE AIRCRAFT SPIRATED INTO THE GROUND. CLOUD BASE WAS 8600' CRASH WAS AT 7200' ELEVATION. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB DEN99FA034](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99FA034), Jan 20, 1999: Cessna P210N (N79NL), Albuquerque, NM, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: Total failure of the vacuum system, and failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft control, resulting in wing spar failure. Factors were the pilot's spatial disorientation, and his exceeding the… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.