Amateur-built RV-4 accident near Ramah, New Mexico, September 9, 2017
On September 9, 2017 at about 2:45 pm local time, a 1991 amateur-built RV-4, registered N70RV, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Ramah, New Mexico (Mystic Bluffs 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from berms during landing in sun glare conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2017 · about 2:45 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Ramah, New Mexico · Mystic Bluffs · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-4, built 1991
- Registration
- N70RV · registry record · serial 2139
- 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 that the sun was in his eyes as he was landing his low-wing airplane. He said that there were 3-ft-high berms in the area where the airplane touched down and that the runway was about 30 ft wide. The left wing struck the berm and the weeds. The propeller then impacted the berm, followed by the right wing and tailwheel. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions of the airplane.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Glare › Effect on personnel
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,414 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,383 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 26, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,264 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 16, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D1A (piston); 1,103 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E98 Los Lunas NM at 12:45 pm
- Destination: NM56 Ramah NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 2,870 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KGUP, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on October 19, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement - Communication Summary G. Donovan | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Reports and Records - Solar Position | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N70RV on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D1A 116 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mystic Bluffs Airport · nearest airport
- Mid Valley Airpark · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,108 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN17CA345.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.