Piper PA-18-150 accident near Belen, New Mexico, March 12, 2000
On March 12, 2000 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4069Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belen, New Mexico. 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
A loss of engine power due to low cylinder compression from an open exhaust valve, and the pilot's failure to lean the fuel mixture.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 2000 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Belen, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4069Z · registry record · serial 18-8079
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot received his private pilot's license earlier that morning and was taking his brother for a ride. He said that shortly after he lifted off from an abandoned 800-foot airstrip (elevation unknown, but an airport 7 miles southeast of the accident site is at 5,194 feet msl) but using a short-field takeoff technique (full flaps), the engine began to lose power, dropping about 500 to 700 rpm (revolutions per minute). When he leveled off to maintain airspeed, the engine 'shut down completely.' Because flaps were still extended and airspeed in the flare was low, the airplane 'kept coming down.' A hard landing ensued, shearing off the landing gear and bending the engine mounts and propeller. The mixture control was found in the FULL RICH position. There was a tail wheel strike mark in the dirt 168 feet from the runway threshold. Just beyond were two dirt berms that had been struck by the airplane's main landing gear. The engine was partially disassembled. The no. 2 cylinder compression ratio was 45/80, due to exhaust blow-by.
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: 56 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,901 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 3, 1999; 102 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E80 NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from ABQ, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N4069Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.