Amateur-built LEGACY 2000 accident near Belen, New Mexico, March 1, 2012
On March 1, 2012 at about 11:35 am local time, a 2005 amateur-built LEGACY 2000, registered N273TE, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Belen, New Mexico (Alexander Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines while maneuvering after takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane during the hours of darkness when he had a restriction for daytime flight only due to color vision limitations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 1, 2012 · about 11:35 am local time
- Place
- Belen, New Mexico · Alexander Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LEGACY 2000, built 2005
- Registration
- N273TE · no longer on the register · serial L2K164
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental airplane collided with power lines shortly after takeoff and before sunrise. No distress calls from the pilot were reported, and no one witnessed the accident. The airplane was severely fragmented, and the debris path extended over 900 feet beyond the initial contact with the power lines consistent with a high-velocity impact. Examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Two occupants were on board the airplane, the pilot and the pilot-rated owner of the airplane. Witnesses reported that the pilot and pilot-rated passenger flew together because the pilot-rated passenger did not have a valid medical certificate. The pilot's most recent medical certificate had the following restrictions: "must wear corrective lenses" and "limited to daytime flight only" due to color vision limitations. The investigation revealed that the power lines were barely visible on the horizon in the desertlike terrain during daylight hours. Although it could not be determined whether the pilot or the pilot-rated passenger was at the controls at the time of the accident, it is likely that the flight's conduct before sunrise and the pilot's restriction for daytime flight only due to color vision limitations made the identification of the power lines more difficult.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Sensory ability/limitation › Color › vision › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,013 hours in all; 46 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 20, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 750 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 154 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 21, 2011
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E80 Belen NM at 11:34 am
- Destination: FFZ Mesa AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N273TE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.