Amateur-built STOL 701 accident near Mesilla, New Mexico, December 15, 2007
On December 15, 2007 at about 11:41 pm local time, a amateur-built STOL 701, registered N45500, was destroyed in an accident near Mesilla, 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 failure to maintain aircraft control during an intentional low altitude maneuver due to impairment, resulting in the in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2007 · about 11:41 pm local time
- Place
- Mesilla, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STOL 701
- Registration
- N45500 · no longer on the register · serial 7-4634
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot flew his recently-purchased airplane over his home on a "daily basis." Each time, he would "buzz" his house and "wig wag" his wings. On the afternoon of the accident, the airplane circled over a vacant field behind his house in a constant descending left turn. He began to rock his wings as he made a "lower than normal" pass. As the pilot rocked his wings, he "lost control" of the airplane. The left wing tip contacted the ground and the airplane cartwheeled. A toxicological screen performed by FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute found Chlorpheniramine in the pilot's blood and urine. Since it could not be quantified, it could not be determined how much was in the pilot's body or how long he had taken the antihistamine before flying. According to the Regional Federal Air Surgeon, the drug is contraindicated because it may cause drowsiness.
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: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LRU Las Cruces NM at 11:00 pm
- Destination: LRU Las Cruces NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point -2°F (-19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 4:37 pm from LRU
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.