Cessna 172RG accident near Cubero, New Mexico, August 24, 1987
On August 24, 1987 at about 3:58 am local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N5247V, was destroyed in an accident near Cubero, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- August 24, 1987 · about 3:58 am local time
- Place
- Cubero, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5247V · no longer on the register · serial 172RGO483
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RCVD A WX BRIEFING PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED BY THE BRIEFER. N5247V DEPARTED AT 2005 HRS AND AT 2200 HRS THE PLT RADIOED ABQ ARTCC THAT HE WAS DESCENDING FROM 9000 FT TO 7500 FT TO AVOID WX. ARTCC RADAR TRACK WAS LOST SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE TERRAIN ELEVATION IN THE AREA RANGES FROM 7500 FT TO OVER 8700 FT. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN AT THE 7800 FT LEVEL. THE PVT PLT DID NOT HOLD AN INSTR RATING.
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: 181 hours in all; 79 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 104 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,135 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 16, 1987; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Kirtland Afb Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: GEU Glendale AZ at 2:05 am
- Destination: ABO Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.