Cessna 172M accident near Clines Corners, New Mexico, August 3, 1993
On August 3, 1993 at about 11:21 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N23459, was destroyed in an accident near Clines Corners, 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A SAFE AND PROPER ALTITUDE. FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, DARK NIGHT CONDITION, AND WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT INCLUDED OBSCURATION, FOG, AND DRIZZLE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1993 · about 11:21 am local time
- Place
- Clines Corners, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N23459 · no longer on the register · serial 17264089
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LEFT HIS HOME AT 0400 WITH THE INTENTION OF FLYING TO ARKANSAS, WITH AN EN ROUTE STOP AT AMARILLO, TX. RADAR DATA SHOWED A VFR TARGET IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT OF DEPARTURE AT 0505 AND AT AN ALTITUDE OF 9,500 FEET. THE TARGET WAS TRACKED TO THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE WHEN, AT 0521 AND AT AN ALTITUDE OF 8,200 FEET, IT DISAPPEARED. A RANCHER FOUND THE WRECKAGE AT 0730. HE TOLD STATE POLICE OFFICIALS THAT AT THE TIME, IT WAS STILL DARK AND THERE WAS A HEAVY FOG AND A LIGHT MIST OR DRIZZLE FALLING. VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 1/4-MILE, AND THESE CONDITIONS HAD EXISTED FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE PILOT WAS INSTRUMENT RATED, BUT THERE IS NO RECORD OF HIS OBTAINING A WEATHER BRIEFING OR FILING A FLIGHT PLAN.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 934 hours in all; 415 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 712 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,510 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1993; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4AC Albuquerque NM at 11:05 am
- Destination: UNK Amarillo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- 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.