Amateur-built Skyraider 1 accident near Elko, Nevada, May 9, 2002
On May 9, 2002 at about 4:50 pm local time, a amateur-built Skyraider 1, registered N571AM, was destroyed in an accident near Elko, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 2002 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Elko, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Skyraider 1
- Registration
- N571AM · registry record · serial 111
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with the ground in a 20-degree nose low attitude. Witnesses who saw the crash stated that the airplane appeared to be "hovering in the air" about 200 feet above the ground when it swiftly pitched nose down and dove towards the ground. The airplane was "silent" prior to its impact with terrain. Post accident examination of the wreckage revealed flight control system continuity, fuel present at the accident location, and an undamaged propeller.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 660 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Bombardier Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEKO Elko NV at 8:48 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from KEKO, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.