Douglas C-47 accident near Steins, New Mexico, March 23, 1986
On March 23, 1986 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Douglas C-47, registered N37AP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Steins, New Mexico (Shady Grove airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- March 23, 1986 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Steins, New Mexico · Shady Grove · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas C-47 · all C-47s on the register
- Registration
- N37AP · no longer on the register · serial 4430
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE, THE LEFT ENG OF THE C-47 LOST PARTIAL PWR AS A RESULT OF A CRACKED CYLINDER. THE CREW STATED THE LEFT ENG WAS SHUT DOWN AND ADDITIONAL PWR WAS APPLIED TO THE RIGHT ENG TO COMPENSATE FOR THE INCREASING RATE OF DESCENT. THE CREW STATED A SHORT TIME LATER, THE RIGHT ENG STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND FORCED LANDING WAS MADE. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, INTERNAL MALFUNCTION COULD BE DETERMINED IN THE RIGHT ENG.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,370 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 6,998 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,201 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 18, 1986; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 26,900 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-1830-90D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Atorie Air INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PHZ Phoenix AZ at 6:30 pm
- Destination: ELP El Paso TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 8, 3,000 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N37AP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 DEN86LA102.