Cessna 172P accident near Gallup, New Mexico, October 30, 1986
On October 30, 1986, a Cessna 172P, registered N65184, was destroyed in an accident near Gallup, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 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
- October 30, 1986
- Place
- Gallup, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N65184 · registry record · serial 17275703
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE FLYING AT A LOW LEVEL SPOTTING DEER IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO FLY OVER A RIDGELINE WITH TERRAIN THAT ROSE FASTER THAN THE ACFT CLIMB CAPABILITY. AT LOW AIRSPEED AND ALTITUDE HE INITIATED A TURN TO REVERSE COURSE TOWARD LOWER TERRAIN. THE ACFT STALLED, STRUCK TREES AND IMPACTED STEEP ROCKY TERRAIN.
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: 74 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 56 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,665 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 4, 1986; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GUP Gallup NM at 11:41 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from GUP, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Other NTSB records under N65184 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 DEN87FA011.