Amateur-built GLASAIR R accident near Chama, New Mexico, July 28, 1997
On July 28, 1997 at about 5:20 pm local time, a amateur-built GLASAIR R, registered N57JD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chama, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude and/or clearance from mountainous terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: the low ceiling, rain, fog, and high/mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1997 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Chama, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GLASAIR R
- Registration
- N57JD · no longer on the register · serial 625
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a cross-country flight, operating on a VFR flight plan. According to radar data, the airplane was following the apparent area of a highway and railroad track over mountainous terrain near Cumbres Pass. The highway went over the pass at 10,200 feet msl. Subsequently, the aircraft impacted the side of a mountain at an elevation of about 10,000 feet, approximately 1/2 mile from the top of the pass. The surrounding mountains were higher than the elevation of the crash site. There was evidence the pilot had entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). A railroad maintenance crew, working at the top of Cumbres Pass during the morning of the accident, noted low clouds and rain during the entire time, and reported the visibility was less than 1/4 mile at the pass.
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: 506 hours in all; 506 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 503 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 31, 1996; 35 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCN Grand Canyon AZ at 4:24 pm
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from ALS, 60 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.
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.