Cessna R172E accident near Alamogordo, New Mexico, March 22, 2010
On March 22, 2010 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna R172E, registered N7871N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alamogordo, New Mexico (Holloman Air Force Base airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An unknown event that resulted in damage to the airplane's firewall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2010 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Alamogordo, New Mexico · Holloman Air Force Base · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172E · all R172Es on the register
- Registration
- N7871N · no longer on the register · serial R172-0262
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Damage to the airplane's firewall was discovered during a 100-hour inspection. The airplane belongs to an aero club and was rented by several pilots prior to the damage being discovered; consequently, the operator could not determine when the airplane was damaged.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,500 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 22, 2010; 0 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: United States Air Force-Owner
The flight
- Departed from: HMN Alamogordo NM
- Destination: HMN Alamogordo NM
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 22
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.