Siai-Marchetti F.260 accident near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, September 30, 1997
On September 30, 1997 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Siai-Marchetti F.260, registered N260MT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Rosa, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improper planning/decision by the pilot, which led to fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a forced landing. A related factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1997 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Rosa, New Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Siai-Marchetti F.260 · all F.260s on the register
- Registration
- N260MT · registry record · serial 3-80
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Approximately 20 minutes before reaching a planned fuel stop at Santa Rosa, NM, the engine lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a dirt road. During the descent, he 'attempted a restart w/opposite wing tank selected;' however, the engine did not start. The pilot reported that his 'last fuel check indicated 1/8 - 1/4 fuel in both wing tanks, wing tip tanks empty.' During the landing roll, the nose landing gear impacted a ditch separating its wheel. The aircraft continued across the dirt road, crossed another ditch, and nosed over. Examination of the aircraft's fuel system revealed that the fuel selector was in the left tip tank position. The main fuel tanks and the wing tip tanks were 'void of fuel,' and 'there were not any fuel stains on the aircraft or the ground.' Only residual fuel was found in the fuel line to the gascolator and in the gascolator, and the carburetor fuel bowl had approximately 0.5 ounce of fuel.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,750 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 5, 1997; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSP Palm Springs CA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: Q58 Santo Rosa NM
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from TCC, 53 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 FTW97LA371.