Mullins David J Jr GLASTAR accident near Cal-Nev-Ari, NV
On April 11, 2023, a Mullins David J Jr GLASTAR (airplane) was involved in an accident near Cal-Nev-Ari, NV. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 11, 2023
- Place
- Cal-Nev-Ari, NV
- Aircraft
- Mullins David J Jr GLASTAR · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.323°N, 114.887°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230411107042
Official records · WPR23FA153
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 11, 2023, about 0419 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Glastar airplane, N8488, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cal-Nev-Ari, Nevada. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The purpose of the flight was for the pilot and his spouse to depart from their winter residence in Nevada and fly to their primary residence in Iowa. The first day of the trip he had a plan to terminate in Dalhart, Texas, where they would overnight and refuel. On the morning of the accident, the pilot’s friend filmed the departure on his cellular phone and was in radio contact over the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). A review of that video revealed that the airplane departed runway 33 about 0406 (figure 1 below). After the initial climb, the airplane made a left turn (to the west). The airplane’s lights remained visible in the video and the airplane could be seen to make a right turn and continue to the east in a level attitude until disappearing out of the frame. Shortly after turning to the right, the pilot made a goodbye call to his friend over the radio. Figure 1: Departure airport A security camera, located at a private residence at the south side of the airport, recorded grainy footage of the airplane departing and then leaving the frame to the east about one minute later. The airplane then came back into the frame from the east at 0419, about 11 minutes after leaving. The runway lights were illuminated. The air
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude for undetermined reasons while maneuvering to land in dark night conditions, which resulted in collision with terrain.
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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.
