Cessna 175A accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 20, 2013
On April 20, 2013 at about 7:04 pm local time, a Cessna 175A, registered N6955E, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Albuquerque, New Mexico (Double Eagle II Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inability to maintain airplane control during taxi due to an inadvertent encounter with a dust devil.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 2013 · about 7:04 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · Double Eagle II Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175A · all 175As on the register
- Registration
- N6955E · registry record · serial 56455
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that upon arrival at his destination, he realized there were dust devils in the vicinity that were diminishing or moving away; he decided they would not be a factor. He landed the airplane and was taxiing slowly on a taxiway when he saw a dust devil about 300 feet to his left front. He said that he had slowed to a stop by the time the dust devil engulfed the airplane, but the airplane was lifted about 3 feet off the taxiway surface. The airplane then impacted the ground on the right wingtip and propeller, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Other weather encounter during taxi
- Loss of control on ground during taxi defining event
- Nose over/nose down during taxi
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Dust devil/whirlwind › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 295 hours in all; 283 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 254 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 16, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,158 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 2013; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor GO-300 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1N1 Edgewood NM at 6:45 pm
- Destination: AEG Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 7,398 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:06 pm from KAEG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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.