Pilot Debrief

CESSNA P210N near Roswell, NM — 2025-03-11

Investigation ongoingWPR25LA111
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Date
2025-03-11
Location
Roswell, NM, USA
Airport
ROW
Aircraft
CESSNA P210N
Registration
N711HE
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

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.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Electrical system malf/failure · Enroute-climb to cruise
View NTSB preliminary report

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