Cessna 172N accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 18, 1982
On July 18, 1982 at about 11:40 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6215D, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 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
- July 18, 1982 · about 11:40 am local time
- Place
- Santa Fe, New Mexico · Santa Fe Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6215D · registry record · serial 17272639
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT STRUCK THE GROUND AT A 40-45 DEG ANGLE & LEFT WING DOWN 1/2 MI FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RWY 20. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED IN AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS. AN ENG DISASSEMBLY REVEALED NO MALFUNCTION. IT WAS KNOWN THE FOUR OCCUPANTS HAD A TOTAL WEIGHT OF 857 POUNDS & 200 POUNDS OF BAGGAGE & CARGO WERE ON BOARD. THE RECORDED USEFUL LOAD OF THIS ACFT WAS 787 POUNDS.
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: 202 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 159 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,708 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lehman Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Santa Fe NM at 5:35 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 8,322 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 144°F (62°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.