- Date
- March 31, 1992, 14:17 local (21:17 UTC)
- Place
- Larkspur, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N212CSCessna T210N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920331007919A
- Case key
- 18149
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to flare the airplane due to his reduced forward visibility. Factors were: the pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations, his failure to proceed to an alternate airport, fuel exhaustion, and weather conditions including snow, fog, and obscuration.
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 pilot and three passengers departed santa ana, CA, at 0816 PST, on an IFR flight plan to tucumcari, NM. En route, the pilot changed his destination to denver, CO. At 1416 MST, while being radar vectored to intercept the localizer course to centennial airport's runway 35R, the pilot declared an emergency. A surviving passenger said he heard someone say they were out of gas. The pilot attempted to make a forced landing atop a snow covered mesa. The landing gear was down but the flaps were up when the airplane impacted terrain. An estimated one cup of fuel remained in the fuel tanks, and about two tablespoons of fuel was drained from the fuel line between the fuel pump and gascolator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N212CS
- Reported as
- Cessna T210N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21063203
- Airframe hours
- 1,668
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-HCMC, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Electrosolve Services
- Registered owner
- Electrosolve Services
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 17, 1992 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- SNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Destination
- APA · Englewood, 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 575 total · 67 in this make and model · 514 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APA, 25 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.