Beech C23 accident near Jiggs, Nevada, September 5, 2005
On September 5, 2005 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Beech C23, registered N9331S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jiggs, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's encounter with a downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2005 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jiggs, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N9331S · no longer on the register · serial M-1641
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with obstructions while performing a forced landing in a field. The pilot reported he experienced a severe downdraft with a descent rate in excess of 1,500 feet per minute at best rate of climb airspeed that made continued flight impossible. The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in a field. After touchdown and during the rollout phase the left wing impacted a steel livestock gate. The pilot reported that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
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
- Flight time: 224 hours in all; 216 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,309 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2005; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TWF Twin Falls ID at 5:00 pm
- Destination: TPH Tonopah NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from EKO, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.