- Date
- January 22, 2026, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Newkirk, NM · Ranchers Field
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1210PPiper PA-23
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA Albuquerque FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260122002359A
- Case key
- 202335
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
The pilots inadequate preflight planning and improper in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent landing on rough terrain.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot receiving instruction and flight instructor were conducting a 1,020 nautical mile (nm) cross-country flight, with multiple planned fuel stops. Upon arrival at one of their planned fuel stops, they discovered that no fuel was available at the airport. The pilots elected to proceed to another airport located about 53 nm away. While enroute at an altitude of about 6,500 ft, the left and right engines began sputtering. The flight instructor stated that they were running out of fuel, and shortly thereafter, both engines experienced a complete loss of engine power. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilots conducted an off-airport landing in an open field. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing impacted the surface, resulting in substantial damage to the right-wing spar. A post-accident inspection of the airplane revealed that the left-wing fuel tank was empty, while the right wing contained a small, undetermined amount of fuel. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) which advised fuel was not available at the airport was issued about 1 month prior to the accident and was still in effect at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1210P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-226
- Built
- 1955
- Airframe hours
- 5,959.15
- Engines
- Lycoming O-320-A3B, 150 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming O-320-A3B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ram-10-P, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 2, 2025 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- TCC · Tucumcari, NM
- Destination
- SXU · Santa Rosa, NM
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 16, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 416.5 total · 275.3 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 2.5 in the last 30 days · 1.1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 12, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 7,355 total · 55 in this make and model · 7,188 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KTCC, 34 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KTCC 221853Z AUTO 29008KT 10SM CLR 13/M11 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP128 T01331111 $
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 20.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.