What happened
On November 26, 2025, at approximately 11:45 MST, an American Aviation AA-1A, registration N9439L, was destroyed in an accident near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal use. The pilot and passenger sustained 2 fatal injuries.
The pilot had acquired the aircraft recently and had earned his private pilot certificate approximately one month before the accident. The flight sequence began on November 24, 2025, when the aircraft departed Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) in Palm Springs, Florida, at 13:10. Following several stops, the aircraft landed at DeFuniak Springs Airport (54J) at 18:43.
On November 25, the aircraft departed 54J at 09:21, visited multiple destinations, and arrived at Cavern City Air Terminal (CNM) in Carlsbad, New Mexico, at 22:38. On the morning of November 26, the aircraft departed CNM at 07:02 and landed at Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport (ALM) at 08:03. After departing ALM at approximately 11:32, the aircraft failed to arrive at its next destination, prompting a family member to alert authorities and the FAA to issue an Alert Notice (ALNOT).
New Mexico State police located the wreckage the following morning, approximately 7 miles east of ALM. The aircraft came to rest on an ascending mountainous slope at an elevation of roughly 6,300 feet MSL. The impact site featured rocky terrain with pine trees approximately 75 feet in height. The initial point of impact was the top of a tree, with several branches severed. All major components of the aircraft remained within the site, though much of the wreckage was destroyed by a post-impact fire.