Maule MXT-7-180A N4257C
11 October 2008 · Santa Teresa, New Mexico, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 11 October 2008 at about 23:02 local time, a Maule MXT-7-180A registered N4257C, operated by Michael D. Perry, was involved in an accident near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:02
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Santa Teresa, New Mexico, United States
- Nearest airport
- Santa Teresa, NM (5t6)
- Coordinates
- 31.8919, -106.7236
- Aircraft
- Maule MXT-7-180A
- Registration
- N4257C
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Michael D. Perry
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Santa Teresa → Springerville
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN09FA010
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to takeoff and fly into a thunderstorm.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Witnesses observed the airplane taxi and perform an intersection takeoff directly towards an isolated thunderstorm located off the departure end of the runway. The airplane appeared to climb to 150 to 200 feet above the ground before disappearing from view as it went into the storm. One witness stated that the airplane's wings were rocking back and forth and that it appeared the pilot was having difficulty controlling the airplane, just before it went out of view. Five to ten minutes later, after the storm moved past, smoke was seen rising approximately one mile west of the airport. The airplane was destroyed by post impact fire. Weather radar data showed the thunderstorm was producing an approximate 60 knot wind shear at the time of the accident. There was a SIGMET active for the accident location and time which warned of the possibility of severe thunderstorms. There was no evidence the pilots obtained a weather briefing prior to taking off.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Maule MXT-7 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Apr 2007 | Maule MXT-7-180 | Sierra Blanca, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 May 2007 | Maule MXT-7-180A | Red Lodge, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 May 2007 | Maule MXT-7-180A | St Petersburg, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Feb 2007 | Maule MXT-7-180A | Alton, New Hampshire, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 2010 | Maule MXT-7-180A | Almyra, Arkansas, United States | Henderson State University | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 2010 | Maule MXT-7-180 | Maybee, Michigan, United States | Short Field Deliveries, LLC | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 2008 | Sproul 72K-TET | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | Keith A. Sproul | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Mar 2008 | Spartan 7W | Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Mar 2008 | Robinson R22 BETA | Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States | Premier Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 12 Oct 2008 | Cessna 170 | Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States | James Garner/Constance & Ernest Buenafe | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 2008 | Cameron Balloons Us A-105 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Tierney Ronald C | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 2008 | Cessna T210L | Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States | JOCHEN Haber | No injuries | - |