Piper PA-24-260 accident near Roswell, New Mexico, April 1, 1994
On April 1, 1994 at about 7:54 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N8961P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Roswell, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 1, 1994 · about 7:54 pm local time
- Place
- Roswell, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N8961P · registry record · serial 24-4418
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLIGHT WAS EN ROUTE AT 10,000 FEET MSL WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS WHEN THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED 'SEVERE DOWNDRAFTS' AND THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED ALTITUDE DEVIATION AND DESCENT. THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY EXCEED THE NEVER EXCEED SPEED. AIRPLANE CONTROL WAS RECOVERED AT 4,400 FEET MSL. THE PILOT REPORTED THE AIR WAS 'RELATIVELY SMOOTH WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS AND NO OBVIOUS WARNING SIGNS.' HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS WERE BENT DOWNWARD.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,835 hours in all; 162 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,759 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,293 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 1994; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BRO Brownsville TX at 3:30 pm
- Destination: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from ROW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW94LA117.