Beech A36 accident near Datil, New Mexico, November 8, 2005
On November 8, 2005 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N1548Y, was destroyed in an accident near Datil, New Mexico. 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's loss of control during flight as a result of incapacitation due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2005 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Datil, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N1548Y · no longer on the register · serial E-2483
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Approximately 45 minutes into the cross-country flight, the airplane collided with hilly terrain during daytime hours in visual meteorological conditions. Examination of the airframe, engine, and propeller revealed no anomalies that precluded normal operation prior to impact. Postmortem examination of the pilot revealed atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with severe blockage of the coronary arteries, and a clot noted in the left anterior descending artery. The autopsy report stated, "...the presence of significant atherosclerotic narrowing of the left anterior descending artery may have precipitated an abnormal heart rhythm (dysrhythmia) producing an incapacitating event during flight that resulted in the crash."
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: 11,000 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,404.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 4AZ2 Capitan NM at 6:45 pm
- Destination: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.