Cessna 182R accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 15, 2015
On January 15, 2015 at about 5:02 pm local time, a 1981 Cessna 182R, registered N9611H, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to remove ice from the airplane’s surfaces before departure, which resulted in the airplane’s inability to attain sufficient airspeed shortly after takeoff, the subsequent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack, and an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 2015 · about 5:02 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Fe, New Mexico · Santa Fe Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R, built 1981 · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N9611H · registry record · serial 18267972
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- 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 cross-country flight. The pilot reported that, during takeoff with 0 flaps, he accelerated the airplane to about 60 knots and that it subsequently lifted off. About 50 to 100 ft above ground level, the airplane entered an uncommanded steep left bank; the pilot used aileron and rudder inputs and briefly regained control of the airplane before it again banked hard left, pitched down, and impacted terrain. The airplane came to rest upright about 500 ft left of the runway and about 3,000 ft from the beginning of the takeoff roll. The uncommanded bank and pitch down is indicative of an aerodynamic stall. A witness at the airport reported that all of the aircraft, which included the accident airplane, that had been parked overnight on the ramp had frost or ice on them. He added that, before departure, the pilot did not remove any of the frost or ice from the airplane's wings, tail, or fuselage. Photographs of the airplane taken about 45 minutes after the accident showed 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rough, mixed rime ice adhering to the wing. The pilot's failure to remove the ice from the airplane's surfaces before departure degraded its takeoff performance and prevented it from attaining sufficient speed to remain airborne and resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Climb capability › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Decision related to condition
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 120 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 72 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 25, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,771 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2013; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470-U (piston); 550 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAF Santa Fe NM at 5:02 pm
- Destination: CDC Cedar City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 8,366 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KSAF
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CEN15LA109.