Pilatus PC12 - 45 accident near Crownpoint, New Mexico, May 13, 2015
On May 13, 2015 at about 3:20 am local time, a 2000 Pilatus PC12 - 45, registered N811VM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Crownpoint, New Mexico (Crownpoint airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 2015 · about 3:20 am local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Crownpoint, New Mexico · Crownpoint · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pilatus PC12 - 45 45, built 2000 · all PC12 - 45s on the register
- Registration
- N811VM · registry record · serial 316
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that after the airplane crossed the runway threshold, he reduced engine power to idle and the gear warning horn sounded. The pilot reported that he misinterpreted the gear warning horn for the ground proximity warning system and the airplane landed with the gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the spar carry-through structure and left spar attachment. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,439 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 226 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 4,301 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 27, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,703 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 17, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 9,965 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6A-67B (turboprop); 6,499 hours total
- Operator: Valley Med Flight, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: GUP Gallup NM at 3:04 am
- Destination: 0E8 Crownpoint NM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 5,820 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 230° at 14 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from KGUP, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 1, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo – 1 Spar Carry-through Structure Damage (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N811VM on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Pilatus PC-12 1,447 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pilatus 403 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6A-67B 2,218 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Crownpoint Airport · nearest airport
- Gallup Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,111 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA15CA080.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.