Piper PA-30-160 accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, December 15, 1984
On December 15, 1984 at about 1:57 am local time, a Piper PA-30-160, registered N7329Y, was destroyed in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 1984 · about 1:57 am local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30-160 · all PA-30-160s on the register
- Registration
- N7329Y · registry record · serial 30-375
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT WAS EN ROUTE FROM FORTH WORTH, TX, TO SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO, WHEN THE PLT DECIDED TO DIVERT TO ALBUQUERQUE. THE A/C CRASHED WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR AN ILS APPROACH TO RWY 8. THE PLT RECEIVED HIS INSTRUMENT RATING SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 6 MOS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. HE HAD LOGGED 24.1 HRS OF ACTUAL INSTRUMENTS BUT ONLY ONE INSTRUMENT APPROACH SINCE RECEIVING HIS INSTRUMENT RATING. THE PILOT HAD BEEN FLYING MORE THAN 3 HRS ON INSTRUMENTS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: 739 hours in all; 161 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 668 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32,877 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1983; 1,969 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-BIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTW Fort Worth TX at 10:34 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 18 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from ABQ, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 DEN85FA043.