Smith Aerostar 601P accident near Lordsberg, New Mexico, September 21, 2004
On September 21, 2004 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Smith Aerostar 601P, registered N11BE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lordsberg, New Mexico (Lordsburg Muni airport). It was a business 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
aircraft control not maintained by the pilot. Contributing to the accident was the dirt devil/whirlwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2004 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lordsberg, New Mexico · Lordsburg Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith Aerostar 601P · all Aerostar 601Ps on the register
- Registration
- N11BE · registry record · serial 61P-0203-017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during the take off roll from runway 12, the airplane "veered 30 degrees to the right, departed the runway, and came to rest a couple of hundred yards away in sagebrush," causing substantial damage. The pilot stated that prior to the take-off roll, he observed the wind sock "hanging down indicating a no-wind situation." The winds 33 miles northeast of the airport were reported as 250 degrees at 11 knots with gusts to 17 knots. According to a witness, the airplane got caught in a whirlwind. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies.
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: 4,062 hours in all; 1,058 in this make and model; 4,010 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 2, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LSB Lordsberg NM at 7:00 pm
- Destination: PHX Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 5,011 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from SVC, 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN04LA146.