Cessna 152 accident near Roswell, New Mexico, March 25, 2000
On March 25, 2000 at about 6:27 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6251B, was destroyed in an accident near Roswell, New Mexico. It was an instructional 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 failure to maintain aircraft control and the subsequent inadvertent stall/spin. A factor was the pilot's diverted attention to over flying her residence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2000 · about 6:27 pm local time
- Place
- Roswell, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6251B · no longer on the register · serial 15283913
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo instructional flight departed the airport northbound and climbed to 1,500 feet agl. Radar data indicates that the student pilot flew by her home, and the airplane slowed from approximately 95 knots to 47 knots ground speed (the headwind was estimated to be 6 to 8 knots). The airplane's stall speed was 48 knots. The airplane accelerated back to approximately 95 knots and turned southeast bound. As the pilot passed her home the second time, she again slowed the airplane to 47 knots ground speed (her estimated tail wind was 2 to 6 knots). Radar data indicates that the airplane then turned left and began to descend at approximately 4,500 fpm. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane flying eastbound, wings level, and descending to between 75 to 150 feet agl. One witness said he did not remember hearing any engine noise. Then he saw 'the left wing dip very rapidly, and the plane became almost vertical.' At the same time, he remembers hearing the airplane's engine 'really power up.' Toxicological reports indicate that the student pilot had four times the maximum recommended concentration of the drug sertraline (trade name Zoloft) in her. Zoloft is a prescription antidepressant, and is not approved by the FAA for pilots to take while on flight status.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 51 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,550 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 29, 2000; 257 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C(M) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ROW at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:44 pm from ROW, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.