Cessna 337 accident near Edgewood, New Mexico, August 15, 1999
On August 15, 1999 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Cessna 337, registered N99MH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Edgewood, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Breakage of the safety wire that secured the propeller control cable to the support bracket. Factors were the inability of the pilot to feather the propeller or change propeller rpm, and rough, uneven, and unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1999 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Edgewood, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337 · all 337s on the register
- Registration
- N99MH · registry record · serial 337-0205
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During climbout after takeoff, the rear engine lost partial power (1,700 rpm). The pilot started to turn around and return to the airpark, but changed his mind and decided to maintain aircraft control by landing in a rough and uneven but open field. Postaccident examination disclosed the safety wire securing the propeller control cable to the support bracket had broken, allowing the cable housing to flex within the engine compartment. When the pilot reduced rpm to climb power, the safety wire broke. This prevented the pilot from feathering or changing the rear propeller pitch settings.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,437 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,315 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,280 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1999; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NM51 NM
- Destination: E98 Los Lunas NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from ABQ, 26 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN99LA145.