Cessna 182E accident near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, May 22, 2004
On May 22, 2004 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N2852Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Teresa, New Mexico (Dona Ana County At Santa Teres 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
the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and decision-making, which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors to the accident were the fuel exhaustion and the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 2004 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Teresa, New Mexico · Dona Ana County At Santa Teres · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N2852Y · registry record · serial 18253852
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot told an FAA inspector that he had completed an air drop of skydivers at 14,000 feet and was returning to land. During the descent, the engine quit. The pilot initially thought it was due to carburetor ice, but then realized that he ran "out of fuel." The pilot was forced to land the airplane short of the runway. The airplane impacted terrain collapsing the nose landing gear and buckling the firewall. The pilot did not provide a Pilot Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB form 6120.1/2) for this accident.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,300 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5T6 Santa Teresa CA at 3:15 pm
- Destination: 5T6 Santa Teresa CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 19 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from KELP, 18 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.