Cessna A185F accident near Angel Fire, New Mexico, July 22, 2003
On July 22, 2003 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N60VA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Angel Fire, New Mexico (Angel Fire 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 instructor's inadequate supervision which resulted in the pilot's loss of directional control and the subsequent impact with the ditch. Contributing factors include the instructor's inadequate remedial action and the inadvertent ground loop/swerve.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2003 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Angel Fire, New Mexico · Angel Fire · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N60VA · registry record · serial 18503141
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor stated that this was a "re-familiarization" flight for the pilot and that the pilot also wanted a better understanding of flying in and around the airport. With the private pilot at the controls, they entered the traffic pattern and set up for a touch-and-go landing on runway 17. The landing was uneventful, and the pilot slowed the airplane down to approximately 10 to 15 knots. When the pilot added power for take-off, the airplane swerved to the left and the airplane's left main landing gear departed the left side of the runway. As the pilot applied rudder and aileron control to recover, the airplane veered to the right across the runway. When the airplane departed the right side of the runway, the instructor called out "I've got it." The airplane ground-looped to the right and struck a ditch between the runway and taxiway.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 1,800 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,350.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 2003; 2.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO 520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAF Sante Fe NM at 3:40 pm
- Destination: AXX Angel Fire NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 8,900 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.