Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT accident near Quemado, New Mexico, January 5, 1989
On January 5, 1989 at about 9:30 pm local time, a amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT, registered N312BH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Quemado, New Mexico (Quemado airport). 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SELECT A SUITABLE LANDING STRIP/AREA. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: HIGH TERRAIN AND LOW CEILING ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT, HAZE, AND THE SOFT CONDITION OF THE SELECTED LANDING STRIP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 1989 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Quemado, New Mexico · Quemado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STEEN SKYBOLT STEEN SKYB
- Registration
- N312BH · no longer on the register · serial 231
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT WAS ON A X-COUNTRY FLIGHT IN HIS HOMEBUILT ACFT. HE REPORTED THAT HE DIVERTED SOUTH OF HIS INTENDED ROUTE TO AVOID WEATHER. HE SAID HE NOTICED THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALONG HIS ROUTE WERE HAZY AND OBSCURED, SO HE ELECTED TO LAND NEAR QUEMADO, NEW MEXICO, ON A DIRT STRIP. THE PLT SAID THAT DURING THE LANDING, THE MAIN GEAR ENTERED SOFT DIRT AND HE LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE ACFT THEN NOSED OVER AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. THE PILOT'S LAST FAA MED EXAM IN ABOUT JULY 1986.
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: 400 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 380 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1988; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental R-670-5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GNT Grants NM at 8:00 pm
- Destination: SJN St Johns AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,000 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 15 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.