Beech M35 accident near Des Moines, New Mexico, August 14, 2025
On August 14, 2025 at about 5:00 am local time, a Beech M35, registered N951T, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Des Moines, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2025 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Des Moines, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech M35 · all M35s on the register
- Registration
- N951T · registry record · serial D-6341
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 13, 2025, about 2300 mountain daylight time, a Beech M35, N951T, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Des Moines, New Mexico. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was subject to an Alert Notification (ALNOT) that was issued on August 14, 2025, when the pilot did not show up to work in Uvalde, Texas. The accident site was located by the New Mexico State Police later that same day. According to preliminary ADS-B data, the airplane departed from the Pueblo Memorial Airport (PUB), Pueblo, Colorado about 2200 and flew on a southerly heading toward Texas. The last ADS-B data point was at an altitude of 7,900 ft msl about a 1/4 mile north of the accident site. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane had impacted wooded terrain on the northern side of Sierra Grande Mountain at an elevation of about 7,810 ft mean sea level (msl). The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a damaged tree about 20 ft tall. The wreckage debris path was oriented along a magnetic heading of about 280° and extended about 300 ft from the FIPC to the main wreckage and to the farthest piece of wreckage debris and was mostly consumed by the postcrash fire. The propeller assembly separated from the engine was located adjacent to the main wreckage. The engine separated from the engine mounts and came to rest about 50 ft west of the main wreckage. All major structural components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The wreckage was transported to a secure location for further examination.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PUB Pueblo CO at 4:00 am
- Destination: UVA Uvalde TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KRTN, 29 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRTN 140253Z AUTO 03003KT 10SM CLR A3015 RMK AO2 SLPNO 53008
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 WPR25FA256.