Cessna 172N accident near Farmington, New Mexico, June 12, 1996
On June 12, 1996 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N3535E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Farmington, New Mexico (Four Corners Regional airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go landing, which resulted in a ground swerve and subsequent collision with a parked airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1996 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Farmington, New Mexico · Four Corners Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N3535E · no longer on the register · serial 17271577
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a touch-and-go landing on a student solo training flight, the aircraft departed the side of the runway. Subsequently, it went across a grass area, a taxiway, and onto an adjacent ramp, where it collided with a parked aircraft (Cessna 402, N26156). The student pilot had a total flight time of 31 hours, which included 12.3 hours in the same make and model and 2.6 hours of solo flight time.
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: student
- Flight time: 31 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,566 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FMN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 6,702 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:01 pm from FMN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N3535E 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.