Cessna 337F accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico, August 6, 2003
On August 6, 2003 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Cessna 337F, registered N8921M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico (Las Cruces International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Lack of adequate power from the rear engine for undetermined reasons and the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during take-off. A contributing factor to the accident was the low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2003 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Las Cruces, New Mexico · Las Cruces International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337F · all 337Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8921M · no longer on the register · serial 33701321
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a touch-and-go landing. After touchdown, the pilot said he retracted the flaps, added full power to both engines and "observed 75 mph" on the airspeed indicator. He "lifted the nose wheel" and the airplane nose pitched up "suddenly" and became airborne. The pilot said he attempted to maintain runway alignment. The airplane veered left and impacted the ground, coming to rest between runway 04-22 and taxiway delta, and causing substantial damage to the wings, right vertical stabilizer and undercarriage. The pilot said the airplane "failed to stay airborne [due to]insufficient power" from the rear engine. The engines were examined at the manufacturer. Both engines experienced normal starts on the first attempts and were run through throttle settings of 1,200, 1,600, 2,450, and 2,800 RPM (full throttle). The engines were then cycled from idle power (650 RPM) to full power, 6 times in succession. In each cycle, the engine "performed normally without any hesitation, stumbling, or interruption in power." No other anomalies were found in any of the other airplane systems.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 29, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,824 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2003; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Teledyne Continental IO-360-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Teledyne Continental IO-360-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LRU Las Cruces NM at 12:30 pm
- Destination: ELP El Paso TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 7,499 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 12:30 pm from LRU, 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.