Cessna 185F accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 1, 2004
On October 1, 2004 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N714MX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe Municipal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing roll resulting in a ground loop. Contributing to the accident was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 2004 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Fe, New Mexico · Santa Fe Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N714MX · registry record · serial 18504404
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was performing touch and go landings on runway 20. During the landing roll, the pilot encountered a wind gust from the left which "weather cocked the plane to about 15 degrees left of centerline." The pilot stated that he applied power and full right rudder but was not able to straighten the airplane. He reduced engine power and applied brakes. The aircraft looped to the left and the right wing and elevator impacted the runway causing substantial damage. An inspection of the airplane systems revealed no anomalies. According to the Aviation Routine Weather Report at 1502 winds were recorded as 150 degrees at 7 knots with gusts to 15 knots.
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
What happened, in order
- ON GROUND/WATER ENCOUNTER WITH WEATHER during landing - roll
- LOSS OF CONTROL - ON GROUND/WATER during landing - roll
- ON GROUND/WATER ENCOUNTER WITH TERRAIN/WATER during landing - roll
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 3,725 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 3,466 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 17, 2004
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: SAF Sante Fe NM at 8:30 pm
- Destination: SAF Sante Fe NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 200, 8,342 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°C, dew point 28°C
- Altimeter: 30.200001 inHg
- Observation at 9:02 pm from SAF, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N714MX the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 DEN05CA001.