Boeing E75 accident near Taos, New Mexico, May 11, 1996
On May 11, 1996 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Boeing E75, registered N4787V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Taos, New Mexico (Taos Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A factor was the dust devil.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 1996 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Taos, New Mexico · Taos Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing E75 · all E75s on the register
- Registration
- N4787V · registry record · serial 75-5814
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Unicom reported, and a flag at the north end of the airport indicated, that the wind was light and variable from the northwest. As the pilot turned on final approach to runway 4, the wind caused the airplane to drift slightly right of the runway centerline. The pilot corrected and made a wheel landing. As speed dissipated below 50 mph and the tail wheel settled to the ground, the airplane shuddered slightly, then veered to the right. Full right aileron, left rudder, and left brake were applied but to no avail. The left wing contacted the ground and the airplane went off the right side of the runway into soft dirt, shearing off the left main landing gear. The pilot said another pilot reported seeing a dust devil on the south side of the airport just before the accident occurred.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,850 hours in all; 206 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 9,720 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,300 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 1995; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,270 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SKX at 5:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,798 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from SKX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4787V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.