Cessna 337A accident near Ruidoso, New Mexico, August 1, 1992
On August 1, 1992 at about 3:18 am local time, a Cessna 337A, registered N337LS, was destroyed in an accident near Ruidoso, New Mexico (Sierra Blanca Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT EXPERIENCING SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND THE RESULTANT EXCESSIVE DESCENT RATE. FACTORS WERE: THE DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1992 · about 3:18 am local time · cases in 1992
- Place
- Ruidoso, New Mexico · Sierra Blanca Regional · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337A · all 337As on the register
- Registration
- N337LS · registry record · serial 337-0421
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CLEARED BY ARTCC FOR A VISUAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24. HE ADVISED UNICOM HE WAS TOO HIGH AND WOULD CIRCLE TO LAND. AN AIRPORT ATTENDANT SAW THE AIRPLANE'S LANDING LIGHTS AND WATCHED IT BEGIN A LEFT TURN WHEN IT WAS OVER AND HALFWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY. THE DESCENT RATE INCREASED TO A 'HARD DIVE ABOUT 35 TO 45 DEGREES' BEFORE DISAPPEARING INTO A RAVINE ONE MILE SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT. VISUAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED BUT IT WAS A DARK NIGHT WITH NO MOON.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 459 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 408 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,852 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-C/D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBB Lubbock TX at 1:52 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 1 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:21 am from SRR, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N337LS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 337 Skymaster 370 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-360-C/D 1,854 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sierra Blanca Regional · nearest airport
- Lubbock Preston Smith International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,114 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN92FA078.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.