Amateur-built 158-8 accident near Lemmon Valley, Nevada, September 14, 1993
On September 14, 1993 at about 11:42 pm local time, a amateur-built 158-8, registered N221BP, was destroyed in an accident near Lemmon Valley, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
OIL STARVATION AND CONNECTING ROD FAILURE IN THE RIGHT ENGINE, AND A RESULTANT FUEL FED FIRE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 1993 · about 11:42 pm local time
- Place
- Lemmon Valley, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 158-8
- Registration
- N221BP · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT BEGAN A TIMING RUN AT THE RENO NATIONAL AIR RACES IN A ONE-OF-A-KIND TWIN ENGINE COMPOSITE STRUCTURE PLANE. HE SAID HE WAS LEAVING THE RACE COURSE & TOLD HIS GROUND CREW HE WAS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE TOWER ADVISED HE WAS TRAILING SMOKE. AT THE APEX OF A CLIMB ABEAM THE NUMBERS/NORTH OF RUNWAY 26, A PUFF OF SMOKE FROM THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN. THE PLANE TURNED RIGHT, PITCHED DOWN WHILE TURNING SOUTHEAST, & DESCENDED AT HIGH SPEED. IT CRASHED ON OPEN TERRAIN IN A WINGS LEVEL, LANDING ATTITUDE WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED & TRAVELED 900' BEFORE STOPPING. AN EXAM REVEALED THE #1 & #2 CONNECTING RODS HAD OVERHEATED & FAILED FROM LACK OF OIL. THE PILOT'S HELMET, OXYGEN MASK & OTHER COCKPIT COMPONENTS REVEALED EVIDENCE OF AN IN-FLIGHT FIRE & PILOT'S BLOOD WAS 8% SATURATED WITH CARBON MONOXIDE. POST-CRASH FIRE DESTROYED THE COCKPIT, RIGHT WING & WING CENTER SECTION, INCLUDING FUEL SYSTEM BOOST PUMPS & SHUTOFF VALVES NEAR THE PILOT'S FEET. OIL RESIDUE WAS FOUND ON A REMAINING PIECE OF THE RIGHT BOOM (AFT OF RIGHT ENGINE).
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 75 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 1993; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Electramotive VG-30T (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4SD Reno NV at 11:30 pm
- Destination: 4SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:41 pm from 4SD
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.