# Accident 20001130038649A: Cessna 182P, Taos, NM, November 30, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 30, 2000, 09:30 local time
- Place: Taos, NM
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.3806° N, 105.5707° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.3806&lon=-105.5707&mi=10
- Aircraft: N21390, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N21390-2001-03-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182P (registry code 2075816, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182P
- Reported engine: CONT O470R
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 1,300 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN01FA018](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN01FA018) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20001130038649A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON NOVEMBER 30, 2000, AT 0940 MST, A CESSNA 182P, N21390, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED TERRAIN ON FRAZIER MOUNTAIN AT THE 11,000 FOOT LEVEL, 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF TAOS, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THIS PERSONAL FLIGHT OPERATING UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM TAOS AT 0915 WITH AN INTENDED DESTINATION OF MONTE VISTA, COLORADO. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES LOCATED AT THE TAOS SKI ARE, THE AIRPLANE TURNED UP A CANYON ACROSS THE VALLEY FROM THE SKI AREA AND DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW. THE WRECKAGE WAS LATER SPOTTED AGAINST A CANYON WALL BY TELESCOPE FROM THE SKI AREA. WINDS IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE REPORTEDLY ABOUT 50 KNOTS, SNOW DEPTH WAS REPORTEDLY ABOUT 9 FEET. (.4) ON NOVEMBER 30, 2000, AT 0930 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 182P, N21390, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED IN A SIDE CANYON ON FRAZIER MOUNTAIN AT 11,300 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL), APPROXIMATELY 28 MILES EAST OF TAOS, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER RECEIVED FATAL INJU                                                                   RIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THIS PERSONAL FLIGHT OPERATING UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM TAOS AT 0915 WITH AN INTENDED DESTINATION OF MONTE VISTA, COLORADO. ACCORDING TO THE PERSON IN MONTE VISTA, WHO THE PILOT WAS GOING TO DO BUSINESS WITH, THE PILOT CALLED JUST PRIOR TO TAKE OFF FROM TAOS AND SAID "THEY WERE GOING TO DO A LITTLE SIGHTSEEING EN ROUTE AND WOULD BE LATER THAN EXPECTED." ACCORDING TO WITNESSES LOCATED AT THE TAOS SKI AREA LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE WEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, THE AIRPLANE TURNED UP A NARROW CANYON ACROSS THE VALLEY FROM THE SKI AREA AND DISAPPEARED FROM THEIR VIEW WHILE IN A STEEP LEFT TURN TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE TO THE CANYON. THE WRECKAGE WAS LATER SPOTTED AGAINST THE CANYON WALL BY TELESCOPE FROM THE SKI AREA.

## 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 DEN01FA018](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN01FA018), Nov 30, 2000: Cessna 182P (N21390), Taos, NM, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance while maneuvering in a narrow canyon. Contributing factors were the down slope winds in excess of 50 knots and the pilot's improper decision to enter…

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.

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