# Accident 19981001027469A: Cessna 140A, Belen, NM, October 1, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 1, 1998, 13:30 local time - Place: Belen, NM - Airport: Alexander Municipal Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.3795° N, 106.4703° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.3795&lon=-106.4703&mi=10 - Aircraft: N9403A, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9403A) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 140A (registry code 2071604, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-140a) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental C90 series (registry code 17009, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c90-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 140A - Reported engine: CONT C9012F - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN99LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA001) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981001027469A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT ENCOUNTERED A CROSSWIND GUST ON LANDING AND PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. (.19) ON OCTOBER 1, 1998, APPROXIMATELY 1330 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 140A, N9403A, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WHILE LANDING AT ALEXANDER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, BELEN, NEW MEXICO. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT ABOARD WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT DEMING, NEW MEXICO, APPROXIMATELY 1200. ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSPECTOR WHO WENT TO THE SCENE, THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 21 WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED "A CROSSWIND GUST OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS." THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE RUNWAY, SHEARING OFF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE ON THE RUNWAY. POSTACCIDENT INSPECTION DISCLOSED THE WING SPAR WAS FRACTURED. THE INSPECTOR SAID THAT SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT, A RAIN SQUALL PASSED THROUGH THE AREA. THE WIND AT ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LOCATED ABOUT 26 N .M. NORTH OF BELEN, WAS FROM 140 DEGREES AT 15 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 18 KNOTS, WITH CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS IN THE AREA. DISTANT CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS AND RAIN SHAFTS WERE ALSO REPORTED IN THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE NORTH QUADRANT. (.19) ON OCTOBER 1, 1998, APPROXIMATELY 1330 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 140A, N9403A, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WHILE LANDING AT ALEXANDER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, BELEN, NEW MEXICO. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT ABOARD WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT DEMING, NEWMEXICO, APPROXIMATELY 1200. ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSPECTOR WHO WENT TO THE SCENE, THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 21 WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED "A CROSSWIND GUST OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS." THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE RUNWAY, SHEARING OFF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE ON THE RUNWAY. POSTACCIDENT INSPECTION DECLOSED THE WING SPAR WAS FRACTURED. THE INSPECTOR SAID THAT SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT, A RAIN SQUALL PASSED THROUGH THE AREA. THE WIND AT ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LOCATED ABOUT 26 N.M.NORTH OF BELEN, WAS FROM 140 DEGREES AT 15 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 18 KNOTS, WITH CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS IN THE AREA. DISTANT CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS AND RAIN SHAFTS WERE ALSO REPORTED IN THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE NORTH QUADRANT. (.4)ON OCTOBER 1, 1998, APPROXIMATELY 1330 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 140A, N9403A, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WHILE LANDING AT ALEXANDER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, BELEN, NEW MEXICO. THE PRIVATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ABOARD, WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT DEMING, NEW MEXICO, AT 1130. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S ACCIDENT REPORT, HE TURNED ONTO FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 21 (6,000 FT X 60 FT, ASPHALT) AND HAD TO LOWER THE LEFT WING AND APPLY RIGHT RUDDER TO MAINTAIN RUNWAY ALIGNMENT. HE SAID THE WIND HAD GENERALLY BEEN FROM THE SOUTH BETWEEN 15 AND 18 KNOTS. AS THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN, A WIND GUST "IN EXCESS OF 20 KNOTS COCKED THE AIRPLANE TO THE LEFT," CAUSING THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR TO BUCKLE AND SEPARATE. AN FAA INSPECTOR WHO WENT TO THE SCENE REPORTED FINDING THE RIGHT WING SPAR FRACTURED. HE SAID THAT SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT, A RAIN SQUALL PASSED THROUGH THE AREA. THE WIND AT ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LOCATED ABOUT 26 MILES NORTH OF BELEN, WAS FROM 140 DEGREES AT 15 KNOTS, WITH GUSTS TO 18 KNOTS. THERE WERE DISTANT CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS AND RAIN SHAFTS FROM THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE NORTH QUADRANTS. ACCORDING TO A CESSNA AIRPLANE COMPANY SPOKESPERSON, THE AIRPLANE OWNER'S MANUAL CONTAINS NO MAXIMUM CROSSWIND COMPONENT DATA. (-23) PILOT WAS MAKING A CROSSWIND LANDING AT BELEN, NM AIRPORT WHEN A GUST OF WIND CAUGHT THE AIRCRAFT, CAUSING RIGHT WING TO CONTACT RUNWAY AND TORE OFF RIGHT MAIN GEAR. AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 650' FROM END OF RUNWAY (LANDING END) AND 8' TO LEFT OF CENTER LINE OF RUNWAY 21 AT BELEN. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB DEN99LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN99LA001), Oct 1, 1998: Cessna 140A (N9403A), Belen, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Factors were his inadequate compensation for the gusty crosswind conditions, and the airplane manufacturer's failure to provide adequate performance… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.