Piper PA-32-300 accident near Grants, New Mexico, June 22, 1982
On June 22, 1982 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N1351H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grants, New Mexico (Grants/Milam airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
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
- June 22, 1982 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Grants, New Mexico · Grants/Milam · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N1351H · no longer on the register · serial 7740034
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS VERY TIRED AND FELL ASLEEP WHILE DESCENDING TO 7500 FT MSL IN THE VICINITY OF GRANTS, NM. REPORTEDLY, THE NEXT THING HE REMEMBERED WAS THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTING THE GROUND, BOUNCING, AND THEN COMING TO A STOP. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT FROM THE POINT OF INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE GROUND, THE AIRCRAFT TRAVELED ABOUT 462 FT BEFORE THE RIGHT GEAR SHEARED OFF. THE GEAR SEPARATED WHEN IT CONTACTED A GOPHER HOLE. AFTER THE GEAR SEPARATED, THE AIRCRAFT TRAVELED AN ADDITIONAL 138 FT. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND IN THE 10 DEGREE DOWN POSITION. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 6720 FT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER OR NOSE GEAR.
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: 510 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 133 in the last 90 days; 433 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,530 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aladdin Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Las Vegas NV at 7:00 pm
- Destination: Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 140°F (60°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm
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.
Other NTSB records under N1351H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.