WPR25LA111

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna P210N · Roswell, NM · March 11, 2025

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
March 11, 2025, 13:40 local (19:40 UTC)
Place
Roswell, NM
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N711HECessna P210N
Defining event
Enroute-climb to cruise: Electrical system malf/failure
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
FAA
FAA report
20250311001339A
Case key
199839

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On March 11, 2025, at 1340 mountain daylight time, a Cessna P210N, N711HE, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Roswell, New Mexico. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he departed Roswell Air Center Airport (ROW), Roswell, New Mexico, for a cross-country flight. While climbing through about 11,000 ft mean sea level, a warning for cylinder head temperature appeared on the primary flight display (PFD) and the pilot recognized that the fuel flow was lower that expected. A short time later a “low bus voltage” message appeared on the multifunction flight display (MFD). The pilot notified the Air Traffic Control Tower at ROW that he would be returning to the airport and started descent towards the airport. The pilot disconnected the autopilot and noted the electric trim did not appear to be working. He tried turning the trim wheel and felt resistance. The PFDs and MFD lost power during the descent and the pilot said he was “fighting the elevator control” and the airplane was descending about 2,000 ft per minute. He also stated he activated the landing gear selector, but the warning horn and gear position indicator lights were not operating. He did not visually confirm the position of the landing gear prior to landing and stated he thought the gear may have been “hanging” when he landed on runway 17. The landing gear subsequently collapsed, and the airplane slid off the right side of the runway which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage. The airplane had a new alternator installed about 10 hours of flight time prior to the accident. The airplane was retained for examination.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Aircraft

Registration
N711HE
Reported as
Cessna P210N
Category
Airplane
Serial number
P21000242
Built
1979
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Registration Pending
Registered owner
Registration Pending
Airport
ROW · Roswell Air Center Airport

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.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
150° at 6 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
73 °F, dew point 27 °F
Altimeter
29.87 inHg
Observed at
KROW, 1 nm away
METAR
KROW 111929Z 15006KT 10SM CLR 23/M03 A2987 RMK AO2 T02281028

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.