Amateur-built Midget Mustang 1 accident near Reno, Nevada, October 12, 2006
On October 12, 2006 at about 7:05 pm local time, a amateur-built Midget Mustang 1, registered N14HM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno/Stead airport). It was a personal 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 inadequate compensation for the wind conditions and failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2006 · about 7:05 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno/Stead · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Midget Mustang 1
- Registration
- N14HM · registry record · serial HDM-599
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane veered off the runway and collapsed the landing gear while landing. The pilot said he made a good wheel landing 1,200 feet down the runway. As the airplane slowed down, he had planned to exit the runway at the mid-field turn off. The tail wheel was still in the air when a strong crosswind struck the airplane and it veered off the runway. After the airplane departed the runway, the landing gear collapsed when it encountered soft sand, which caused structural damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight. The pilot and personnel at the scene of the accident reported that the winds were out of the east with gusts around 14 knots. The closest aviation weather reporting facility 11 miles away was reporting variable winds at 3 knots.
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: 3,112 hours in all; 649 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 779.1 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 1, 2006; 2.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,088 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4SD Reno NV at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 7,608 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from 4SD, 11 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.