# NTSB WPR25FA256: Beech M35, N951T, Des Moines, NM, August 14, 2025

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report
- Date: August 13, 2025, 23:00 local (Aug 14, 2025, 05:00 UTC)
- Place: Des Moines, NM · mountainous
- Coordinates: 36.71368, -103.8943 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.7137&lon=-103.8943&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 2 fatal
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Parties: Federal Aviation Administration
- NTSB case key (mKey): 200790
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR25FA256
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200790/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25FA256

## Preliminary report

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.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute-cruise: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120) (defining event); cases with it: [Beech M35, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120/sequence.md?model=1151526), [All aircraft, 1,074 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N951T](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N951T), registered now, S/N D-6341 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH M35
- Registry model: [Beech M35](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-m35) (registry code 1151526) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Continental IO-470-N](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-470-n) (registry code 17358, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: D-6341
- Damage: Destroyed
- Fire: On-Ground
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Departed: PUB, Pueblo, CO
- Destination: UVA, Uvalde, TX

## Weather

- Conditions: Night/dark
- Wind: 30° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 32 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observed at: KRTN, 29 nm away
- METAR: KRTN 140253Z AUTO 03003KT 10SM CLR A3015 RMK AO2 SLPNO 53008

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20250813011779A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250813011779A), Aug 13, 2025: Beech M35, Des Moines, NM, Destroyed, 2 fatal. On 08/13/2025 a Beechcraft BE35 aircraft departed on a personal part 91 flight from pueblo Colorado headed for uvalde Texas. The flight was night VFR and no…

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.

---
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.