Smith, Ted Aerostar 601P accident near Ruidoso, NM
On April 23, 1999, a Smith, Ted Aerostar 601P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ruidoso, NM. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 23, 1999
- Place
- Ruidoso, NM
- Aircraft
- Smith, Ted Aerostar 601P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.349°N, 105.680°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001205X00451
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 23, 1999, at 1023 mountain daylight time, a Smith 601P (Aerostar), N48MD, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near Sierra Blanca Regional Airport, Ruidoso, New Mexico. The instrument rated private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which originated approximately 3 minutes before the accident. An IFR flight plan had been filed and a departure clearance had been received by the pilot. An employee of the pilot reported that the pilot and his wife departed Addison Airport, Dallas, Texas, at approximately 1500 on April 22, 1999. The pilot's flight logbook indicated that they flew directly to Ruidoso, New Mexico, where they owned a home. On the morning of the accident, the Emergency Response Chief at the airport said that he fueled N48MD with 95.4 gallons of 100LL at approximately 0700. He said that he observed the pilot preparing the airplane for flight at approximately 0930. An employee of the Fixed Based Operator (FBO) documented that the pilot taxied to the end of runway 06 at 0959. The pilot called the FBO at 1010 asking for assistance in getting his IFR clearance; he stated that he had tried several frequencies and had been unable to reach anyone. The first officer of a Continental Airlines flight passing overhead subsequently relayed the pilot's IFR clearance to him from Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center. The first officer said that "the pilot seeme
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control for undetermined reason. A factor was the low ceiling IMC weather condition.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
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Browse: New Mexico
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
