Cessna 401A accident near Silver City, New Mexico, August 23, 1982
On August 23, 1982 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Cessna 401A, registered N9867F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Silver City, New Mexico (Turner Ridgeport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
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
- August 23, 1982 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Silver City, New Mexico · Turner Ridgeport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401A · all 401As on the register
- Registration
- N9867F · no longer on the register · serial 401-0301
- 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 AIRCRAFT WAS BEING FLOWN TO CHECK IT AFTER SOME MINOR MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL AT ABOUT 84 KTS, THE PILOT NOTED A DROP IN THE FUEL FLOW TO THE RIGHT ENGINE, FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF POWER ON THE RIGHT SIDE. HE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF, BUT WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO STOP ON THE REMAINING RUNWAY, HE ELECTED TO GO OFF THE RIGHT SIDE. SUBSEQUENTLY THE AIRCRAFT, WENT THROUGH A FENCE AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. NO PRE-ACCIDENT, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,850 hours in all; 495 in this make and model; 294 in the last 90 days; 13,522 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,646 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flying A Flight Service INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 1E6 Silver City NM at 2:05 pm
- Destination: 1E6 Silver City NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N9867F 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.