Cessna L-19E accident near Moriarty, New Mexico, August 14, 2022
On August 14, 2022 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1961 Cessna L-19E, registered N320DA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Moriarty, New Mexico (Moriarty Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 maintain directional control and the flight instructor's inadequate remedial action during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2022 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Moriarty, New Mexico · Moriarty Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna L-19E, built 1961 · all L-19Es on the register
- Registration
- N320DA · registry record · serial 61-2986
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and airline transport pilot receiving instruction were performing takeoffs and landings in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The first two landings were uneventful, and they had planned for the third to be a full stop with the airplane configured for a three-point landing. During the landing roll, the airplane began to veer left. The pilot applied full right rudder and brakes, but the airplane continued the left turn and exited the runway surface. The airplane ground looped, coming to rest facing approximately 90o from the runway centerline. The right wing was substantially damaged. The pilots both 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 6,400 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 6,150 as pilot in command; 2,900 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 30, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,807 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1,662 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,938 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 14, 2022; 101 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0E0 Moriarty NM at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,702 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KCQC, 17 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCQC 141753Z AUTO VRB04KT 10SM CLR 26/09 A3035 RMK AO2 SLP174 T02560089 10261 20139 58003
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 2, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Damage Provided by FAA | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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
- N320DA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna L-19 41 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470-11 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Moriarty Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,108 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR22LA306.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.