Amateur-built 980(695) accident near Carlsbad, New Mexico, May 13, 1982
On May 13, 1982 at about 3:30 am local time, a amateur-built 980(695), registered N9789S, was destroyed in an accident near Carlsbad, New Mexico (Cavern City airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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
- May 13, 1982 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Carlsbad, New Mexico · Cavern City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 980(695)
- Registration
- N9789S · no longer on the register · serial 95037
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 1/2 MI SW OF THE DEPARTURE END OF RWY 32L. THE RWY HAD BEEN ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME OF TAKEOFF WITH THE ACFT MAKING A LEFT TURN INTO AN AREA THAT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED TOWARD THE MOUNTAINS. IT WAS A VERY DARK NIGHT WITH AN INDISTIGUISHABLE HORIZON SOUTHWESTWARD TOWARD THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS. THERE WERE TWO BRIGHTLY LIT SOFTBALL COMPLEXES LOCATED TO THE NORTH TOWARD THE CITY. A WEATHER STUDY INDICATED PROBABLE MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE & UP & DOWN DRAFTS BELOW 7,000 FT MSL, & LIGHT TO MODERATE WIND SHEAR FROM THE SURFACE UP TO 300 FT AGL. A WITNESS WHO SAW THE FIREBALL STATED SHE HAD LOST CONTROL OF HER CAR BECAUSE A GUST OF WIND PUSHED HER CAR INTO THE OTHER LANE OF TRAFFIC.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 460 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,375 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331-501K (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Carlsbad NM
- Destination: C Oklahoma City OK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 21 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 149°F (65°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.