Amateur-built SIDEWINDER accident near Tucumcari, New Mexico, September 14, 2019
On September 14, 2019 at about 5:25 pm local time, a 2003 amateur-built SIDEWINDER, registered N492AC, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Tucumcari, New Mexico. 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 in-flight separation of a section of a propeller blade due to a fatigue crack, which resulted in a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2019 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Tucumcari, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SIDEWINDER No Series, built 2003
- Registration
- N492AC · registry record · serial 002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine momentarily started to run rough before he heard a loud bang followed by a separation of a portion of the propeller blade. The pilot shut the engine down and performed a forced landing to open desert terrain, during which the airplane impacted vegetation, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the propeller blade revealed a chordwise fracture across the propeller about 12 inches from the hub. The fracture origin area exhibited a small pit, consistent with progressive crack growth from a flat fracture surface in the area identified as the origin. The pit was likely initiated by corrosion, as it exhibited evidence of chlorine-containing salts. No maintenance logbooks were located for the propeller, and its total time in service and most recent inspection were not determined.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 451.1 hours in all; 12.2 in this make and model; 101.1 in the last 90 days; 56.7 in the last 30 days; 388.4 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 6, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 60 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 1, 2019; 11.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Gallup NM at 3:25 pm
- Destination: KTUS Altus NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KTCC, 12 miles away
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 1, 2022. 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 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | 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.