Cessna A188A accident near Minden, Nevada, June 2, 2004
On June 2, 2004 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna A188A, registered N9961G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minden, Nevada (Minden-Tahoe airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing roll, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the accident airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2004 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Minden, Nevada · Minden-Tahoe · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188A · all A188As on the register
- Registration
- N9961G · no longer on the register · serial 18800761
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost control of the tail wheel equipped airplane while on landing roll and ground looped the airplane. The pilot had no prior experience in the accident airplane make and model, which was a single seat airplane, and was receiving guidance from another pilot via a handheld radio. During the pilot's third landing, he reduced power, the airplane yawed to the left, and ground looped. The pilot reported no anomalies with the airplane that would have led to the accident.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 15, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV Minden NV at 3:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 7,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from TVL, 13 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.