Cessna 172M accident near Jackpot, Nevada, September 3, 1994
On September 3, 1994 at about 9:00 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N21704, was destroyed in an accident near Jackpot, Nevada (Jackpot airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control due to spatial disorientation during a moonless night departure over an area without ground reference lights. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of instrument training and experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1994 · about 9:00 am local time · cases in 1994
- Place
- Jackpot, Nevada · Jackpot · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N21704 · no longer on the register · serial 17263990
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A FIELD 2.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT WITH A WRECKAGE PATH MEASURED OVER 280 FEET LONG. AN AIRPORT SECURITY OFFICER REPORTED THAT HE WAS NEAR THE ADVISORY RADIO USED FOR AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATIONS. HE OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT TAXI OUT FOR DEPARTURE ABOUT 0200. ABOUT 2 MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT REPORTED AIRBORNE SOUTHBOUND AND THAT HE INTENDED TO TURN TO THE NORTH. NO OTHER TRANSMISSIONS WERE HEARD FROM THE PILOT. THE PASSENGER IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT HAS NO MEMORY OF THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE PASSENGER IN THE REAR SEAT WAS LYING DOWN ON THE BENCH SEAT AND RECALLS THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBING. SOMETIME AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PASSENGER HEARD A 'POP' SOUND FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY GROUND IMPACT. THE NIGHT WAS DESCRIBED AS DARK WITH NO MOON. THE CASINO AND SMALL SETTLEMENT OF JACKPOT ARE THE ONLY LIGHTED AREAS OUT TO THE HORIZON IN ANY DIRECTION FROM THE AIRPORT. THE NON-INSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT HAD 21 TOTAL HOURS OF NIGHT FLYING EXPERIENCE WITH A TOTAL INSTRUMENT TIME OF 2.5 HOURS. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED IN THE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 306 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 211 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,447 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1994; 125 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 06U at 8:55 am
- Destination: S67 Nampa ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 am from EKO, 96 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N21704: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,686 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 259 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Jackpot/Hayden Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Nevada 1,294 since 1982 · 223 in the last ten years
- Nevada 4,583 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX94LA349.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.