Piper PA-31T1 accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, December 16, 1999
On December 16, 1999 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-31T1, registered N919RD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot initiating lift off at an airspeed insufficient to maintain flight and retracting the landing gear prematurely resulting in a stall mush. A factor was the pilot incorrectly setting the elevator trim.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 1999 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Fe, New Mexico · Santa Fe Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T1 · all PA-31T1s on the register
- Registration
- N919RD · no longer on the register · serial 31T-8104037
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On takeoff during the initiation of a cross-country flight, the pilot raised the landing gear following liftoff and the aircraft settled back onto the ground off the end of the runway. According to the pilot and the FAA inspector who examined the aircraft, both engines were producing normal power. The elevator trim was set at 12 degrees nose up vice 3-6 degrees required, and the aircraft was within weight and balance limits. The pilot lowered the landing gear prior to impact. According to information provided by the aircraft manufacturer, induced drag increases during landing gear retraction and extension due to the landing gear doors being extended into the air stream as the landing gear cycles.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,098 hours in all; 401 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 885 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,558 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 26, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 8,750 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT-6A-11 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAF at 10:15 pm
- Destination: OJC Olathe KS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33, 6,307 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from SAF, 1 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.