- Date
- January 28, 1987, 10:08 local (17:08 UTC)
- Place
- Nucla, CO
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1721XCessna T210L
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 19, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870128003969A
- Case key
- 17097
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft was on an IFR flt to an arpt without an instrument approach procedure. ATC cleared the flt to descend to 12,000 ft, the IFR mea for the area, at 30 NM NE of the arpt. At approx 3 min prior to the mishap, the plt was issued a cruise clearance at 12,000 ft, given the arpt position as 12 o'clock, 17 NM , and instructed to report his arrival to fss. The plt initiated a descent on a track directly to the arpt. The acft impacted trees at 9200 ft MSL, near the top of a mountain ridgeline, 13 miles from the arpt. Evidence indicates the acft was in IMC and that the ridgeline was obscured in clouds. The weather at grand junction, 50 NM north, was partial obscuration, low scattered clouds, 4000 ovcst, vis 1 mile in fog.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1721X
- Reported as
- Cessna T210L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21060743
- Airframe hours
- 3,482
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-H-4A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Rainbow Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Russell J. Campion
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 8, 1987 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- BJC · Broomfield, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 23,000 total · 650 in this make and model · 21,000 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GJT, 40 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N1721X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.