NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN85FA019
Registry · N5543T
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
SOCATA TB-20 TRINIDAD
Year of manufacture
1991
Engine
LYCOMING IO-540 SER (300 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19910314
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A7111A
Registrant of record
TRINIDAD FLYERS LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
THE PILOT DEPARTED FARMINGTON,NM IN THE EARLY MORNING DARKNESS EN ROUTE TO GRANTS, NM. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE ROCK FACE OF A 8399-FOOT MESA AT ABOUT THE 8150-FOOT LEVEL. ACCORDING TO ONE LOCAL RESIDENT, WEATHER AT THAT TIME CONSISTED OF A LOW CEILING, POOR VISIBILITY AND MODERATE SNOWFALL. THE INTRUMENT-RATED PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFINGBUT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1984_DEN85FA019.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.