- Date
- September 11, 1990, 04:00 local (10:00 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N23STMorane-Saulnier MS760
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900911038899A
- Case key
- 17847
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot, a heart transplant surgeon, was advised of a donor in las cruces, NM. He and a physician's assistant were to fly to las cruces, retrieve the donor heart, and return to Albuquerque, where the transplant was to be performed. The pilot obtained a weather briefing (VMC was forecast) and filed an IFR flight plan. He fueled the jet aircraft to capacity and took off into a dark, clear, moonless night towards open, flat terrain with few ground lights. The aircraft crashed seconds later. It impacted the ground in a left wing/nose slightly low attitude at high speed. There was no evidence of preimpact failure/malfunction of the airframe, engines, instruments, or controls. The pilot had been awake for 22 hours with little or no rest. He was not current for night flight. His IFR currency could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23ST
- Reported as
- Morane-Saulnier MS760
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 50
- Airframe hours
- 1,108
- Engine
- Turbomeca MARBORE VI C2, 1,060 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Stonewall Transport, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Stonewall Transport, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 6, 1990
- Destination
- LCR · Las Cruces, NM
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- AEG · Double Eagle II, runway 22, 7,398 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,372 total · 56 in this make and model · 1,193 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 70° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ, 11 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.