Cessna 414 accident near Cuba, New Mexico, July 28, 1987
On July 28, 1987 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 414, registered N1648T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cuba, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- July 28, 1987 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cuba, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414 · all 414s on the register
- Registration
- N1648T · no longer on the register · serial 414-0428
- 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
THE ACFT WAS DISPATCHED TO THE CUBA, NM AREA TO PICK UP A CRITICALLY ILL PATIENT. THE STATE POLICE BLOCKED OFF A SECTION OF HIGHWAY FOR THE ACFT TO LAND ON. THE PLT LANDED ON THE HIGHWAY, BUT DRG THE LANDING ROLL, THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RGT WING STRUCK A ROAD MARKER POST. THE PLT BELIEVED THE DAMAGE WAS MINOR & CONTD THE MISSION. LATER, TWO FAA INSPECTORS EXAMINED THE ACFT. IN THEIR OPINION, A TWO INCH WIDE TEAR IN THE RGT AILERON CONSTITUTED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 5,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,696 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 11, 1987; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 9:09 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.