Beech B23 accident near Ruidoso, New Mexico, May 4, 1984
On May 4, 1984 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Beech B23, registered N9137T, was destroyed in an accident near Ruidoso, New Mexico (Ruidoso airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1984 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Ruidoso, New Mexico · Ruidoso · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B23 · all B23s on the register
- Registration
- N9137T · registry record · serial M-1154
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT UPON LANDING A GUST OF WIND BLEW THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE RUNWAY CENTER AND HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND. WITNESSES STATED THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO APPROXIMATELY 200 TO 300 FT AND STARTED A LEFT TURN. ENGINE POWER APPEARED TO BE MINIMAL. AS THE LEFT BANK WAS ESTABLISHED THE AIRCRAFT TURNED BACK TO THE RIGHT ABRUPTLY AND NOSED DOWN, COLLIDING NOSE FIRST WITH A TREE AND THEN THE GROUND. THE ACFT WAS IN A STEEP NOSE LOW, RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE DURING IMPACT. THE1430 MDT WIND WAS FROM 210 DEG AT 10 GUSTING 25 KTS. THE DENSITY ALT WAS CALCULATED TO BE 9298 FT. BETWEEN 3/21/84 & 5/4/84, THE PLT HAD ACCUMULATED 42 HRS OF FLYING TIME; HOWEVER, BEFORE THAT PERIOD, HE HAD NOT FLOWN FOR OVER 13 YRS. ALSO, HE DID NOT HAVE A CURRENT BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW. THIS WAS THE PLT'S 1ST FLT TO THE RUIDOSO ARPT.
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
- Flight time: 206 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 157 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,722 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 7, 1983; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBB Lubbock TX
- Destination: RUI Ruidoso NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:30 pm from RUI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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 DEN84FA144.