Maule M-5-235C accident near Mimbres, New Mexico, September 13, 1998
On September 13, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Maule M-5-235C, registered N9218E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mimbres, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering. Factors were a low altitude turn into a crosswind and a high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mimbres, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-235C · all M-5-235Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9218E · no longer on the register · serial 7123C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot's accident report, he departed a grass airstrip (3,000 feet x 300 feet, dirt), en route to El Paso, Texas. He climbed to 200 feet, maneuvered to the left side of a valley, then made a climbing right turn to head south and through the valley. He encountered 'a hard crosswind from the left,' and he 'turned into the downwind side of this crosswind.' The airplane lost altitude and 'barely' struck the ground. The landing gear collapsed, and the airplane slid 80 feet before colliding with a log-loading machine. The computed density altitude at Deming, New Mexico (elevation 4,312 feet msl), located 44 miles southeast of the accident site, was 7,349 feet msl. The pilot said the elevation of the accident site was 6,200 feet msl. The approximate density altitude at the accident site was computed to be 9,628 feet msl.
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: 1,700 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,160 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1998; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J2A5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: TX04 El Paso TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from DMN, 44 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.