Amateur-built PECK P-1 accident near Aztec, New Mexico, May 18, 2013
On May 18, 2013 at about 5:50 pm local time, a amateur-built PECK P-1, registered N16NM, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Aztec, New Mexico (Aztec Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of airplane control during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident fire damage precluded a complete examination of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 2013 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Aztec, New Mexico · Aztec Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PECK P-1
- Registration
- N16NM · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a personal flight in the amateur-built airplane. A witness reported that he saw the pilot start up the airplane and take off. Just after becoming airborne, the airplane impacted a berm on the right side of the runway, spun 180 degrees, and then came to rest. A postcrash fire ensued, which consumed a majority of the airplane. Examination of the airplane wreckage did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; however, a complete examination could not be conducted due to extensive fire damage. The left side of the engine did exhibit more fire damage than other areas, which may indicate that a fuel leak occurred or that the fire started at that location from another source. Further, someone who knew the pilot reported that, after the previous flight, the pilot had indicated that fuel had pooled on the cockpit floor. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot becoming distracted during takeoff, possibly by a fuel leak or onboard fire; however, neither scenario could be verified. Therefore, the reason that the pilot did not maintain airplane control during takeoff could not be determined.
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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,420 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: N19 Aztec NM at 4:50 pm
- Destination: N19 Aztec NM
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 26, 4,314 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KFMN, 11 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N16NM 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.