Backovich George C G P 5 accident near Reno, NV
On September 8, 2014, a Backovich George C G P 5 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Reno, NV. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 8, 2014
- Place
- Reno, NV
- Aircraft
- Backovich George C G P 5 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.707°N, 119.890°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140908X23516
Official records · WPR14FA369
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 8, 2014, about 1516 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur built Backovich GP-5 airplane, N501GP, was destroyed when it impacted terrain following an in-flight breakup while conducting a practice race at the Reno-Stead Airport (RTS) Reno, Nevada. The airplane was registered to Lancair Northwest LLC, Portland, Oregon, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the air race flight. The local flight originated from RTS about 5 minutes prior to the accident. Photographic and video evidence was obtained from spectators that captured the accident sequence. The evidence showed that the airplane was established in a left bank when a portion of the outboard right wing separated. The airplane began rolling to the right and descended to impact with the ground. The empennage fragmented and separated as the airplane was rolling and descending. Information provided by the Reno Air Race Association (RARA) revealed that the accident airplane had flown earlier in the day prior to the accident. During this flight, the pilot initiated a mayday call and landed due to a vibration, which he felt was due to reaching the engine rev limiter. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 63, held a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land, airplane single-engine sea, airplane multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. A second-class airman
Probable cause
The failure of the right wing under normal race loads due to an improper repair of the right wing spar that reduced its structural strength following a previous landing accident.
More accidents in NV
- Cessna 425, Jan 12, 1992
- Cessna TU206G, Dec 7, 1986
- Beech A36TC, Dec 25, 2003
- Cessna T21OL, Mar 1, 1982
- Pilatus PC-12/45, Feb 25, 2023
Browse: Nevada
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
