Cessna 172 P accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, April 19, 1985
On April 19, 1985 at about 5:00 am local time, a Cessna 172 P, registered N52457, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- April 19, 1985 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 P · all 172 Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52457 · no longer on the register · serial 17274531
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWO PERSONS, NEITHER RATED AS PLTS, TOOK THE ACFT WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT OF THE OPERATOR OR ARPT OFFICIALS. THEY TOOK OFF AT NIGHT, & AFTER A SHORT TIME, RETURNED TO THE ARPT TO LAND. DURING AN ATTEMPTED LANDING, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD, BOUNCED TWICE, THEN DEPARTED TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 3 MI WEST NORTHWEST OF THE ARPT, BUT IT WAS NOT FND UNTIL LATE ON THE MORNING OF 4/20/85. IMPACT OCCURRED NEAR A HIGH TENSION POWER LINE WHILE AT HIGH SPEED IN A NOSE LOW, SLIGHTLY RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE & ON A HDG OF 140 DEG. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT DID NOT COLLIDE WITH THE WIRES. BOTH OCCUPANTS HAD BEEN EMPLOYED BY THE OPERATOR AS LINE BOYS. ONE WAS STILL EMPLOYED & HAD ACCESS TO THE OFFICE. BOTH HAD BEEN DRINKING BEER FOR SOME TIME PRIOR TO THE FLT. TOX SHECKS SHOWED THE L FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT HAD AN ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.239%; THE R FRONT OCCUPANT HAD A LVL OF 0.184%.NEITHER OCCUPANT HAD USED THE AVAILABLE SEAT BELT OR SHOULDER HARNESS.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Santa Fe Aviation
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:47 am from SAF, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.