Amateur-built BEARHAWK accident near Edgewood, New Mexico, April 10, 2018
On April 10, 2018 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 2008 amateur-built BEARHAWK, registered N1685, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Edgewood, New Mexico (Sandia Airpark Estates East airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2018 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Edgewood, New Mexico · Sandia Airpark Estates East · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BEARHAWK NO SERIES, built 2008
- Registration
- N1685 · registry record · serial 030-53/54-704
- 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 in the tailwheel-equipped, experimental, amateur-built airplane, during landing, the airplane encountered a left crosswind gust. The pilot lost directional control of the airplane, and it exited the left side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The METAR nearest the accident site reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was light and variable at 3 knots; there were no reported gusts. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,369 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,369 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 22, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 359 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 27, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 360 hours total
- Operator: Lane Aviation LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: 1N1 Edgewood NM at 6:01 pm
- Destination: 1N1 Edgewood NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,830 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 30,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from KABQ, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N1685 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 GAA18CA206.