Cessna 177RG accident near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, July 17, 1988
On July 17, 1988 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N34338, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 17, 1988 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Santa Teresa, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N34338 · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0990
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AN UNKNOWN PERSON OR PERSONS TOOK A CESSNA 177RG FROM A SMALL AIRPORT NEAR THE MEXICAN BORDER, WITHOUT PERMISSION. STATE POLICE FOUND IT CRASHED IN A FIELD 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SANTA TERESA AIRPORT, AND NOTIFIED THE OWNER. NO WITNESSES HAVE BEEN FOUND TO REVEAL THE NATURE OF THE ACCIDENT OR THE IDENTITY OF THE PILOT. INJURY INDEX PRESUMED.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5T6
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; 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.