Cessna 175 accident near Clovis, New Mexico, June 28, 1998
On June 28, 1998 at about 6:32 am local time, a Cessna 175, registered N7366M, was destroyed in an accident near Clovis, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance and the proper landing glide path. Also causal was his loss of aircraft control during an attempted go-around. Factors were the dark night light conditions, the pilot's recent lack of sleep, and the pilot's lack of recent night flying experience.,
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 1998 · about 6:32 am local time
- Place
- Clovis, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 175 · all 175s on the register
- Registration
- N7366M · registry record · serial 55666
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated private pilot (237 hours of flight experience) was a professional truck driver and had worked 12 hours on the day of the accident. The pilot departed at 2200 (he had 5.2 hours of night experience during the last 18 months). The moon set at 2255. Witnesses reported seeing a large spark which lit up the sky on the approach end of runway 4. The power went out at the airport, including the runway lights. N7366M was seen flying low over the runway and applying power to go-around. The airplane was found in a cornfield 1,500 feet left of runway centerline. The approach track to runway 4 crosses transmission lines 3,510 feet from the PAPI indicated runway touchdown point (the three top lines were found separated). It could not be determined if the pilot had training or exposure to the PAPI system. The pilot last flew with his flight instructor (in N7366M) on March 19, 1998; the flight instructor observed that the attitude indicator was not functioning properly. No documentation was found which indicated that the attitude indicator had been fixed.
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
- Flight time: 237 hours in all; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,586 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 10, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GO-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E98 Los Lunas NM at 4:00 am
- Destination: CVN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:14 am from CVN
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.