What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 1999-08-06 involved a Cessna T210M, registration N6687B, at Clovis, NM.

Cargo Flight Crashes on Approach to Clovis Airport (N6687B)

On August 6, 1999, a Cessna T210M (registration N6687B) was involved in an aviation accident near Clovis, NM. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during final approach to landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall. A factor was the high density altitude. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.

A non-scheduled domestic cargo flight from Dallas to Clovis, New Mexico, crashed on approach. The aircraft was found 0.57 nautical miles from runway 22 about an hour after disappearing.

Accident Details

A non-scheduled domestic cargo flight was en route from Dallas, Texas, to Clovis, New Mexico, with no cargo aboard. The flight was scheduled to pick up checks in Clovis. The pilot was overheard announcing the aircraft's position over the airport's UNICOM frequency when the airplane was 15, 10, and 5 miles out for landing. However, the aircraft was never observed to have landed.

Witness Account

A witness located 1 mile east of the airport reported hearing the airplane's engine accelerate and observed the airplane to be 'lower and slower' than most aircraft at that altitude inbound for landing. The airplane was level for several seconds, then 'turned into a nose dive and crashed.'

Search and Recovery

A search for the airplane was initiated, and it was located approximately 0.57 nautical miles from the approach end of runway 22 about 1 hour later.

Weather Conditions

The weather at the time of the accident was clear skies with winds from 200 degrees at 15 knots. The density altitude was calculated to be 6,648 feet above mean sea level.

1999-08-06: Cessna T210M (N6687B) — Clovis, NM