Cessna 180 accident near Moriarty, New Mexico, December 15, 2018
On December 15, 2018 at about 4:40 pm local time, a 1959 Cessna 180, registered N188H, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Moriarty, New Mexico (Moriarty Muni 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to see and avoid a parked glider while taxiing from the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2018 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Moriarty, New Mexico · Moriarty Muni · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 B, built 1959 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N188H · registry record · serial 18050652
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, after landing, while exiting onto the taxiway, he decided to "cut the corner" instead of following the taxiway centerline. He did not see the parked glider to his right, and at the last second, he applied brakes. Subsequently, the airplane's tail rose, and the elevator struck the glider's vertical and horizontal stabilizer. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Aircraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,700 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,854 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2018
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-50 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E92 Estancia NM at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 0E0 Moriarty NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,702 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from 0E0
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 12, 2019. 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 | Record of Phone Conversation (Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photo | 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.
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.