Cessna T210L N1721X

Summary

On 28 January 1987 at about 17:08 local time, a Cessna T210L registered N1721X, operated by Rainbow Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Nucla, Colorado, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

28 January 1987 at 17:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Nucla, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.2596, -108.5497

Aircraft

Cessna T210L

Registration

N1721X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Rainbow Aviation, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Broomfield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN87FA061

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.