Rockwell 690A accident near Taos, New Mexico, March 30, 1992
On March 30, 1992 at about 2:00 am local time, a Rockwell 690A, registered N111FL, was destroyed in an accident near Taos, New Mexico (Taos Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 5 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE CLIMB AFTER DEPARTING THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT. FACTORS WERE THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE DARK NIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1992 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Taos, New Mexico · Taos Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 5 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 690A
- Registration
- N111FL · no longer on the register · serial 11163
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED SLIGHTLY RISING TERRAIN IN A 15 DEGREE LEFT BANK, SLIGHT NOSE UP ATTITUDE WHILE DESCENDING SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF IN DARK NIGHT IMC. THERE WERE RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE AREA AND IT WAS DEVOID OF VISIBLE GROUND REFERENCE LIGHTS. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TAKEOFF HEADING AND THE IMPACT HEADING WAS 75 DEGREES AND THE AIRPLANE HAD TRAVELED 3,987 FEET FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY AT INITIAL IMPACT. THE WRECKAGE SUBSEQUENTLY TRAVELED AN ADDITIONAL 837 FEET THROUGH THE BRUSH. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE TAKEOFF WAS NORMAL IN ALL ASPECTS AND ALL OF THE AIRPLANE SYSTEMS WERE OPERATING NORMALLY. HE STATED THAT THE LAST THING HE REMEMBERED WAS PASSING THROUGH 8,500 FEET WITH A RATE OF CLIMB OF 1,500 FEET PER MINUTE. THE AIRPORT ELEVATION WAS 7,091 FEET. HE DID NOT RECALL THE RADIO ALTIMETER ALERT OR THE WARNING LIGHT ACTIVATING. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. RESCUE OF THE OCCUPANTS WERE DELAYED DUE TO THE WEATHER, DARKNESS, AND SPURIOUS ELT SIGNALS MASKED BY THE WRECKAGE.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,145 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,404 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 9, 1992; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-5-251 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Legal Air Flight Services, INC
The flight
- Destination: RVS Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 5,798 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
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.