Sunday, April 18, 2021

Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, N222BM: Accident occurred April 11, 2021 at Grant County Airport (KSVC), Silver City, New Mexico

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. 

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Albuquerque, New Mexico


Location: Silver City, NM 
Accident Number: WPR21LA174
Date & Time: April 11, 2021, 20:40 Local 
Registration: N222BM
Aircraft: Piper PA-28-180 
Injuries: 2 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N222BM
Model/Series: PA-28-180
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site:
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation: KSVC,5446 ft msl 
Observation Time: 20:35 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 1 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 16°C /-11°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 9 knots / , 320°
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.86 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Safford, AZ (SAD)
Destination: Silver City, NM

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Minor 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 1 Minor 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Minor 
Latitude, Longitude: 32.636547,-108.15638 (est)



Two men were transported to Gila Regional Medical Center on Sunday night after the airplane they were flying crashed at the Grant County Airport about 8:43 p.m., according to authorities.

The Daily Press was unable to confirm the identities of the two men, whom Grant County Sheriff Frank Gomez said sustained minor injuries in the crash. The Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee is registered to Jimmy Harrison of Pima, Ariz., according to the Federal Aviation Administration registry.

“Emergency Manager Gilbert Helton was called out to the scene, and he said it was a serious crash,” Gomez said, adding that preliminary reports indicate that the airplane “either ran out of gas or had mechanical problems.”

“God was on their side,” the sheriff said.

Several volunteer fire departments and police agencies responded to the crash, which did not result in a fire, according to Gomez.

The airplane crashed some distance east of the end of the main runway, and could still be seen Monday afternoon entangled in a metal fence that runs along the airport boundary. The plane suffered heavy damage in the crash and lost a wing.

State Police turned the investigation of the incident over to the National Transportation Safety Board, a spokesperson said.

“All the information we have right now is a private plane with two male occupants crashed at the Grant County Airport last night, April 11, at 8:43 p.m.,” said N.M. State Police Officer Dusty Francisco. “They sustained unknown injuries, and were transported to an area hospital.”

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