On September 5, 2018, a private general aviation aircraft departed from Riverside, California and intended to stop at the airport located in Jean, Nevada. At about 9:45 PM, traffic camera video captured the aircraft make an appropriate right base turn as it prepared to land. The initial turn was followed by a subsequent base-to-final turn placing the aircraft in a position to enter a small cloud as it neared the airport. During the final turn, the aircraft entered a deep spin and impacted the ground near freeway I-15. A fire engulfed the scene and the pilot was killed. An investigation launched by the National Transportation Safety Board, aided significantly by the traffic camera video, revealed the pilot likely failed to maintain proper airspeed while maneuvering to avoid the cloud which caused the aircraft to enter a stall condition and ultimately crash. The report issued by the NTSB was only able to cite the traffic camera video for evidence of nearly all the aircraft’s maneuvers prior to impacting the ground.
View the docket here.
