Beech 58 accident near Grants, New Mexico, March 15, 1993
On March 15, 1993 at about 5:34 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N4320W, was destroyed in an accident near Grants, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION AND THE SELECTION OF AN ALTITUDE THAT WOULD NOT PROVIDE TERRAIN CLEARANCE ALONG HIS PLANNED ROUTE. FACTORS WERE THE DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 1993 · about 5:34 am local time
- Place
- Grants, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N4320W · no longer on the register · serial TH-468
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT ALONG AN AIRWAY, WITH A MINIMUM EN ROUTE ALTITUDE OF 13,300 FEET, WHEN IT IMPACTED TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF 10,600 FEET. IMPACT OCCURRED ON A SNOW COVERED MOUNTAIN CRESTING AT 11,301 FEET. DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS EXISTED AND THE PILOT HAD JUST ACTIVATED A VFR FLIGHT PLAN. CARGO INCLUDED COBALT 60, A RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL. SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN WAS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE PILOT OR THE PASSENGERS. RECORDED RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE GROUND TRACK WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE MEASURED GROUND SCAR HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 272 DEGREES. TREE/TERRAIN IMPACT OCCURRED IN A LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE. WEIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 5,718 POUNDS; MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT WAS 5,400 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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 45 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 19,900 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,921 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 1993; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 5:15 am
- Destination: OAK Oakland CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 am from ABQ, 53 miles away
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.