N4085PPiper PA-23-160 · 1959

On September 6, 2025, about 1925 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-23-160, N4085P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that while the twin-engine airplane was being refueled, he completed his performance planning. Subsequently he entered the airplane, started both engines, taxied to the runup area and performed engine runup and magneto drop checks, with no abnormalities noted. After transmitting his intentions over the common traffic advisory frequency, he taxied onto runway 10 from taxiway A4, aligned the airplane on the runway centerline and applied full throttle on both engines. During the takeoff roll, he began to rotate about 87 knots and 1,600 ft into the takeoff roll. However, when the airplane lifted off of the runway, the airplane yawed to the left and was not climbing. He reported that he retracted the landing gear to reduce drag, lowered the nose to increase airspeed, and applied right rudder. He stated that he heard a decreasing engine noise, and assumed it was the left engine due to the left yaw and side slip, while he applied right rudder. While trying to keep the nose aligned with the runway centerline at an indicated airspeed between 90 knots to 100 knots, and less than 50 ft above ground level, the airplane had drifted left over the runway safety area and impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings.

The airplane was recovered to a secure location for further examination.