Fairchild M62A (PT-19) accident near Gallup, New Mexico, October 20, 1999
On October 20, 1999 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Fairchild M62A (PT-19), registered N56268, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gallup, New Mexico (Gallup Municipal airport). It was a ferry 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
Failure by the pilot in command to maintain control of the aircraft during landing roll. Factors were a lack of experience of either pilot in kind and type of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 1999 · about 6:30 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Gallup, New Mexico · Gallup Municipal · 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
- Fairchild M62A (PT-19) M62A (PT-1 · all M62A (PT-19)s on the register
- Registration
- N56268 · registry record · serial T43-5242
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing roll, the aircraft started to swerve and both pilots made control inputs simultaneously. The result was over correction and the aircraft departed the side of the runway and struck a runway light, which caused the main landing gear to collapse. Neither pilot was experienced in the aircraft type or make and model.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 185 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 74 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 338 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 6, 1999; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ranger 6-440-C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 5:00 pm
- Destination: GUP
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 7,312 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from GUP, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N56268 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Fairchild M-62 186 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Fairchild 616 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Ranger 6-440-C5 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Gallup Municipal · nearest airport
- Prescott Rgnl/Ernest A Love Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,422 since 1982 · 183 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,108 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN00LA008.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.