- Date
- April 21, 2026, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Española, NM · E14
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6762SCessna 150H
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 17, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20260421005149A
- Case key
- 202901
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 pilot’s loss of of directional control during landing roll following an encounter with a dust devil.
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, he observed a dust element to the right of the runway. He then felt a violent lifting of the right wing and the airplane weathervaned into the wind. He applied full power, corrected with rudder, aileron and initiated a go-around, however, the right wing continued to lift, and the left wing impacted the ground. Subsequently, the airplane ground looped to the right resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 16 with wind from 210° at 7 knots. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6762S
- Reported as
- Cessna 150H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15067562
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 7,881
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Apache Turf LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 24, 2025 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- LAM · Los Alamos, TX
- Airport
- E14 · Ohkay Owingeh, runway 16, 5,007 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- June 23, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 707 total · 25 in this make and model · 685 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KLAM, 14 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KLAM 211035Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 11/M03 A3020 RMK AO2 T01131029 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 17, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 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.
Other investigations on N6762S · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.