Cessna 172S accident near Roswell, NM
On December 28, 2004, a Cessna 172S (airplane) was involved in an accident near Roswell, NM. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 28, 2004
- Place
- Roswell, NM
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.380°N, 104.758°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050105X00015
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 27, 2004, at 1821 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172S, N849SP, departed controlled flight and impacted on a highway, 12 miles west of Roswell, New Mexico. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted on a local instrument flight rules flight plan under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant on board the airplane was fatally injured. The flight originated at the Roswell Industrial Air Center (ROW) at 1736. Several witnesses in vehicles driving westbound on the highway stated they saw the airplane in the air traveling northwest at approximately 2,500 feet above the ground. One witness stated the airplane "suddenly started downward at a steep angle and crashed." Another witness said it took only a few seconds from the time the airplane started downward until it impacted on the highway. A third witness said he saw "a green and red light coming down at a high angle and very fast," and he "heard [a] loud noise, not [an] explosion." The witness said he then went through the debris across the highway and smelled fuel. At 1735:04, the pilot received an instrument clearance from the Roswell Air Traffic Control Tower. The pilot took off on runway 17 at ROW at 1736:36. Radar and communication information confirmed the airplane climbed to approximately 6,500 feet and received radar vectors that took the airplane northeast of ROW and then inbound for an ILS approach to runway 21. At 1745:49, the pilot was cleared for the IL
Probable cause
the pilot not maintaining control of the aircraft resulting in an uncontrolled descent and collision on a highway. Factors contributing to the accident were the dark night and the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
- Piper PA-32-300, Dec 26, 1982
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Jun 25, 1992
- Cessna 421C, Feb 11, 1985
- Beech 58, Mar 26, 1982
Browse: New Mexico · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
