Amateur-built Stitts SA6B accident near Elko, Nevada, August 16, 2001
On August 16, 2001 at about 3:25 pm local time, a amateur-built Stitts SA6B, registered N5628, was destroyed in an accident near Elko, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot-in-command to reverse course in a timely manner after flying into a box canyon. Factors in the accident were the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft and the local terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2001 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Elko, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Stitts SA6B
- Registration
- N5628 · no longer on the register · serial 83072
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The first pilot maneuvered into a mountain canyon and the owner/student second pilot expressed his reservations. The canyon was a "box" canyon and the terrain rose faster that the 100-horsepower airplane could climb. The first pilot attempted, too late, to reverse course and, as they were turning to fly back down the canyon, the airplane shook in pre-stall buffet while about 5 feet above ground level. The pilot lowered the nose and they crashed. In his report to the Safety Board, in the section on recommendations for preventing the accident, the first pilot wrote "more familiarity with terrain and aircraft performance." The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft and that the accident site elevation was approximately 7,200 feet msl.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,672 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 142 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 1,408 as pilot in command; 63 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 14, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
Other crew
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EKO Elko NV at 2:28 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from EKO, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.