Narrative:
The pilot, a heart transplant surgeon, planned a return flight to Las Cruces to retrieve a donor heart. After takeoff into a dark, clear, moonless night towards open, flat terrain with few ground lights, the aircraft impacted the ground in a left wing/nose slightly low attitude at high speed. The pilot had been awake for 22 hours with little or no rest.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Failure of the pilot to maintain a climb after takeoff, due to spatial disorientation. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, pilot fatigue, and the pilot's lack of recent experience in night flying operation. "
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Tuesday 11 September 1990 |
| Time: | 04:00 |
| Type: |  Morane Saulnier MS.760B Paris II |
| Operator: | Stonewall Transport |
| Registration: | N23ST |
| MSN: | 50 |
| First flight: | |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1108 |
| Engines: | 2 Turbomeca Marboré VI C-2 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | near Albuquerque, NM ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Albuquerque International Airport, NM (ABQ/KABQ), United States of America |
| Las Cruces Municipal Airport, NM (LRU/KLRU), United States of America |
The pilot, a heart transplant surgeon, planned a return flight to Las Cruces to retrieve a donor heart. After takeoff into a dark, clear, moonless night towards open, flat terrain with few ground lights, the aircraft impacted the ground in a left wing/nose slightly low attitude at high speed. The pilot had been awake for 22 hours with little or no rest.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Failure of the pilot to maintain a climb after takeoff, due to spatial disorientation. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, pilot fatigue, and the pilot's lack of recent experience in night flying operation. "
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Insufficient rest / fatigueControlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground
Sources:
» NTSBPhotos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Albuquerque International Airport, NM to Las Cruces Municipal Airport, NM as the crow flies is 305 km (191 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
Distance from Albuquerque International Airport, NM to Las Cruces Municipal Airport, NM as the crow flies is 305 km (191 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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