Cessna 172R accident near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, September 22, 1985
On September 22, 1985 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N758UA, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Rosa, New Mexico (Santa Rosa Muni airport). It was an instructional 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 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
- September 22, 1985 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Rosa, New Mexico · Santa Rosa Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N758UA · no longer on the register · serial R1723360
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON HIS FIRST X-COUNTRY. HIS LAST SOLO FLT WAS APPROX TWO MONTHS PRIOR TO ACCIDENT. WITNESSES SAW ACFT ON A RT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 26. THE PLT WAS TOLD A LEFT TRAFFIC PATTER WAS IN USE. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO BE FLYING SLOW AT A LOW ALT, ON A WESTERLY HEADING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF RWY 26. THE ACFT THEN TURNED NORTH AND ENTERED A STEEP LEFT BANK. THE ACFT CRASHED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RWY AND A POST CRASH FIRE ERUPTED.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 39 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,385 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 15, 1985; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-KB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Falcon Air Incorporated
The flight
- Departed from: SAF Santa Fe NM at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 26, 4,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 21 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°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.