ASN Aircraft accident Morane Saulnier MS.760B Paris II N23ST Albuquerque, NM
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Tuesday 11 September 1990
Time:04:00
Type:Silhouette image of generic MS76 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Morane Saulnier MS.760B Paris II
Operator:Stonewall Transport
Registration: N23ST
MSN: 50
First flight:
Total airframe hrs:1108
Engines: 2 Turbomeca Marboré VI C-2
Crew:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Passengers:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Total:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:near Albuquerque, NM (   United States of America)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Albuquerque International Airport, NM (ABQ/KABQ), United States of America
Destination airport:Las Cruces Municipal Airport, NM (LRU/KLRU), United States of America
Narrative:
The pilot, a heart transplant surgeon, planned a return flight to Las Cruces to retrieve a donor heart. After takeoff into a dark, clear, moonless night towards open, flat terrain with few ground lights, the aircraft impacted the ground in a left wing/nose slightly low attitude at high speed. The pilot had been awake for 22 hours with little or no rest.

Probable Cause:

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. "

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: NTSB
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 9 months
Accident number: DEN90FA184
Download report: Summary report

Classification:
Insufficient rest / fatigue
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground

Sources:
» NTSB


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Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Albuquerque International Airport, NM to Las Cruces Municipal Airport, NM as the crow flies is 305 km (191 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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