Accident Overview
On March 11, 2025, at 1340 mountain daylight time, a Cessna P210N, registration N711HE, sustained substantial damage during an accident near Roswell, New Mexico. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, the flight departed from Roswell Air Center Airport (ROW) for a cross-country trip. While climbing through approximately 11,000 ft mean sea level, a cylinder head temperature warning appeared on the primary flight display (PFD). The pilot observed that fuel flow was lower than expected. Shortly thereafter, a “low bus voltage” message appeared on the multifunction flight display (MFD). The pilot notified the air traffic control tower at ROW of the intention to return and initiated a descent toward the airport.
During the descent, the pilot disconnected the autopilot and found that the electric trim was not functioning. Attempting to use the manual trim wheel, he encountered resistance. The PFD and MFD lost power completely. The pilot reported “fighting the elevator control” and noted a descent rate of about 2,000 ft per minute. He activated the landing gear selector, but the warning horn and gear position indicator lights were inoperative.
Unable to visually confirm the landing gear position, the pilot believed the gear may have been “hanging” as he approached runway 17. Upon touchdown, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane slid off the right side of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the empennage.
Aircraft Information
The airplane had a new alternator installed approximately 10 flight hours prior to the accident. The aircraft was retained for examination following the incident.