Cessna 172S accident near Roswell, New Mexico, December 28, 2004
On December 28, 2004 at about 1:21 am local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N849SP, was destroyed in an accident near Roswell, New Mexico (Roswell Industrial Air Center airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot not maintaining control of the aircraft resulting in an uncontrolled descent and collision on a highway. Factors contributing to the accident were the dark night and the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 2004 · about 1:21 am local time
- Place
- Roswell, New Mexico · Roswell Industrial Air Center · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N849SP · no longer on the register · serial 172S-8757
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane took off on a local IFR flight plan so the pilot could do instrument approaches in preparation for his commercial pilot flight check. The pilot was given radar vectors and accomplished two ILS approaches to the southwest runway. On climb out, the pilot was cleared direct to the CHISUM VOR, and was cleared to fly the procedure turn for the VOR BRAVO approach. While on the procedure turn and on a northerly heading, the airplane disappeared from radar. The local controller attempted to re-establish radio communications with the airplane, but was unable. Several witnesses in vehicles driving westbound on a highway stated they saw the airplane in the air traveling northwest at approximately 2,500 feet above the ground. One witness stated the airplane "suddenly started downward at a steep angle and crashed." Another witness said it took only a few seconds from the time the airplane started downward until it impacted on the highway. A third witness said he saw "a green and red light coming down at a high angle and very fast," and he "heard [a] loud noise, not [an] explosion." The witness said he then went through the debris across the highway and smelled fuel. The weather conditions at the airport, 281 degrees at 12.6 nautical miles from the accident site were clear skies, calm winds, 10 miles visibility, temperature 39 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 31 degrees F, and altimeter 30.19 inches. At the time of the accident it was night. The light conditions were dark. The airplane was destroyed on impact. An examination of the airplane showed 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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 239 hours in all; 92 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,350.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 2,457 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ROW Roswell NM
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N849SP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.