Agusta Spa A109E accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, June 10, 2009
On June 10, 2009 at about 3:35 am local time, a Agusta Spa A109E (helicopter), registered N606SP, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe Municipal Airport). It was a public-use flight (state) under public-use (government) rules. 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to take off from a remote, mountainous landing site in dark (moonless) night, windy, instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident were an organizational culture that prioritized mission execution over aviation safety and the pilot's fatigue, self-imposed pressure to conduct the flight, and situational stress. Also contributing to the accident were deficiencies in the NMSP aviation section's safety-related policies, including lack of a requirement for a risk assessment at any point during the mission; inadequate pilot staffing; lack of an effective fatigue management program for pilots; and inadequate procedures and equipment to ensure effective communication between airborne and ground personnel during search and rescue missions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 2009 · about 3:35 am local time
- Place
- Santa Fe, New Mexico · Santa Fe Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Agusta Spa A109E · all A109Es on the register
- Registration
- N606SP · no longer on the register · serial 11209
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight (state) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-11/04. On June 9, 2009, about 2135 mountain daylight time, an Agusta S.p.A. A-109E helicopter, N606SP, impacted terrain following visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The commercial pilot and one passenger were fatally injured; a highway patrol officer who was acting as a spotter during the accident flight was seriously injured. The entire aircraft was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and operated by the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) on a public search and rescue mission under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The helicopter departed its home base at Santa Fe Municipal Airport, Santa Fe, New Mexico, about 1850 in visual meteorological conditions; instrument meteorological conditions prevailed when the helicopter departed the remote landing site about 2132.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Loss of visual reference during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Clouds › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Decision related to condition
- factor Organizational issues › Management › Culture › Safety › Operator
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Alertness/Fatigue › (general) › Pilot
- factor Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Adequacy of policy/proc › Operator
- factor Environmental issues › Task environment › Pressures/demands › (general) › Effect on personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Emergency locator beacon › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Indicating/recording systems › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PW206C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PW206C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: New Mexico State Police
The flight
- Departed from: SAF Santa Fe NM
- Destination: SAF Santa Fe NM
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from SAF, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N606SP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09PA348.