Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88004
Sunday, December 8, 1991 10:00 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE STUDENT PILOT HAD COMPLETED HIS PRIVATE PILOT MANEUVER SEQUENCE AND WAS RETURNING TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. HE STATED THAT HE WAS AWARE OF THE MOUNTAIN AND RISING TERRAIN BETWEEN HIM AND THE AIRPORT, BUT THOUGHT HE WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM CROSSING OVER THEM. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ENDED UP IN A RAVINE BETWEEN TWO HILLS WITH THE AIRPLANE IN A SLIGHT CLIMB. HE SAW A BLIND CANYON IN FRONT OF HIM AND TURNED LEFT WHERE HE ENCOUNTERED A SECOND BLIND CANYON. AT THAT POINT THE PILOT REALIZED THAT HE WOULD NOT CLEAR THE RISING TERRAIN AND ADDED 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS, HOWEVER, THAT DID NOT ALLEVIATED THE PROBLEM. THE NOSE GEAR THEN STRUCK BRUSH IN THE RAVINE AND THE AIRPLANE FLIPPED OVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ENGINE APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN OPERATING NORMALLY THROUGHOUT THE FLIGHT. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE SITE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS CALCULATED TO BE ABOUT 7,550 FEET.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S MISJUDGMENT OF THE AIRPLANE'S PERFORMANCE WHICH LED TO A SITUATION WHERE IT COULD NOT CLIMB ABOVE THE RISING TERRAIN. A FACTOR WAS THE HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE WHICH EXISTED IN THE MOUNTAINS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/8/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1000 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | LAS CRUCES |
| Event State | NEW MEXICO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 88004 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1650 Mountain Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 225 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DMN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 4309 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 15 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 25000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 60 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 12 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -1 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 7550 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2042 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 46290 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 10:53AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4628Q |
| NTSB Number | FTW92LA039 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 152 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 152 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 15285043 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1670 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 26 1991 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 24 |
| Airframe Hours | 4844 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | N. AMERICAN INST. OF AVIATION |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P. O. BOX 668 |
| Aircraft Owner City | LAS CRUCES |
| Aircraft Owner State | NM |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 88004 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | N. AMERICAN INST. OF AVIATION |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | P. O. BOX 668 |
| Operator City | LAS CRUCES |
| Operator State | NM |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 88004 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 930 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Climb |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |