Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Taos Municipal Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
El Prado, New Mexico 87529
Thursday, February 24, 2000 18:45 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The instrument rated private pilot received an in-person abbreviated weather briefing from the Albuquerque Flight Service Station (FSS), and local weather reports from a friend who lived near the Taos Municipal Airport via telephone and aircraft radio. FSS advised the pilot that VFR flight was not recommended due to mountain tops being obscured, turbulence, and icing conditions. His friend said it was snowing at his home. The pilot then filed a VFR flight plan for the dark night cross country flight, and departed Albuquerque for Taos. Later, he radioed his friend and told him that the snow had moved in behind him, he had the airport in sight, but was having difficulty maintaining visual contact with the runway lights because he was 'in and out of snow showers.' The airplane impacted terrain 1.5 miles east of the airport. Toxicological tests revealed that the pilot, a psychiatrist, had recently taken fluoxetine (also known by the trade name Prozac), a prescription antidepressant medication not approved for flight.
**This case was modified on February 27, 2008.**
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's improper preflight planning/preparation in that he initiated flight into known adverse weather, and continued VFR flight into IMC to the point where remedial action was not possible. Factors were the weather conditions that included snow, low ceiling, and obscuration, a dark night, and his overconfidence in his abilities.
**This case was modified on February 27, 2008.**
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 2/24/2000 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1845 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | EL PRADO |
| Event State | NEW MEXICO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 87529 |
| Event Date Year | 2000 |
| Event Date Month | 2 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | TAOS MUNICIPAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | SKX |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 90 |
| Airport Elevation | 7091 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1755 Mountain Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 1 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SKX |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 7091 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 270 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 4100 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 4 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -6 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 280 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 11 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 18 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 7758 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Heavy |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 109 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Feb 24 2000 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2040 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 10 2001 9:53AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N2988Y |
| NTSB Number | DEN00FA053 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 182E |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 182E |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 18253988 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2800 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 13 1999 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 58 |
| Airframe Hours | 4108 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | RICHARD M. ROSEN |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 4565 NDCBU |
| Aircraft Owner City | TAOS |
| Aircraft Owner State | NM |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 87571 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | P.O. BOX 4538 |
| Operator City | TAOS |
| Operator State | NM |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 87571 |
| 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) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | ABQ |
| Departure City | ALBUQUERQUE |
| Departure State | NM |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1745 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | SKX |
| Destination City | TAOS |
| Destination State | NM |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 10 2001 12:27PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 22 |
| Runway Length | 5798 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |