Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Jackpot Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Jackpot, Nevada 89825
Saturday, September 3, 1994 2:00 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A FIELD 2.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT WITH A WRECKAGE PATH MEASURED OVER 280 FEET LONG. AN AIRPORT SECURITY OFFICER REPORTED THAT HE WAS NEAR THE ADVISORY RADIO USED FOR AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONS. HE OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT TAXI OUT FOR DEPARTURE ABOUT 0200. ABOUT 2 MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT REPORTED AIRBORNE SOUTHBOUND AND THAT HE INTENDED TO TURN TO THE NORTH. NO OTHER TRANSMISSIONS WERE HEARD FROM THE PILOT. THE PASSENGER IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT HAS NO MEMORY OF THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE PASSENGER IN THE REAR SEAT WAS LYING DOWN ON THE BENCH SEAT AND RECALLS THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBING. SOMETIME AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PASSENGER HEARD A 'POP' SOUND FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY GROUND IMPACT. THE NIGHT WAS DESCRIBED AS DARK WITH NO MOON. THE CASINO AND SMALL SETTLEMENT OF JACKPOT ARE THE ONLY LIGHTED AREAS OUT TO THE HORIZON IN ANY DIRECTION FROM THE AIRPORT. THE NON-INSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT HAD 21 TOTAL HOURS OF NIGHT FLYING EXPERIENCE WITH A TOTAL INSTRUMENT TIME OF 2.5 HOURS. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED IN THE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control due to spatial disorientation during a moonless night departure over an area without ground reference lights. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of instrument training and experience.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/3/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 200 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | JACKPOT |
| Event State | NEVADA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 89825 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | JACKPOT |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | 06U |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 3 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 180 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 155 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 208 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | EKO |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 5135 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 96 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 11000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -3 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 270 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 13 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 18 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 2 |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1841 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 3 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1600 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 12:15PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N21704 |
| NTSB Number | LAX94LA349 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 172M |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 172M |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 17263990 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2150 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 12 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 125 |
| Airframe Hours | 3447 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | T-CRAFT AERO CLUB, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 413 |
| Aircraft Owner City | NAMPA |
| Aircraft Owner State | ID |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 83651 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | 06U |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 155 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | S67 |
| Destination City | NAMPA |
| Destination State | ID |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Climb |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |