Atr 42 incident near Las Vegas, Nevada, March 5, 1995
On March 5, 1995 at about 6:29 am local time, a Atr 42, registered N266AT, was involved in an incident near Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 25 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an unexpected lateral control movement associated with in-flight turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1995 · about 6:29 am local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 25 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Atr 42
- Registration
- N266AT · registry record · serial 266
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CREW REPORTED HEAVY MIXED ICING CONDITIONS ON THE WINDSCREEN AND SOME ICE AFT OF THE DE-ICE BOOTS DURING A DESCENT THROUGH 15,500 FEET, FOLLOWED BY TWO UNCOMMANDED LATERAL CONTROL MOVEMENTS. THE PILOTS SAID THE CONTROLS WERE STIFF AND THEY FELT A 'BUZZING' SENSATION IN THE AILERON AND RUDDER CONTROLS. THE AUTOPILOT WAS NOT ENGAGED AT THE TIME AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A CLEAN CONFIGURATION. THE CREW DID NOT REPORT ANY TURBULENCE UNTIL REACHING LOWER ALTITUDES. SOME PASSENGERS REPORTED NO SIGNIFICANT TURBULENCE OR NOTHING EXCESSIVE, WHILE OTHER PASSENGERS DESCRIBED THE TURBULENCE AS 'SCARY' OR 'TOO MUCH'. EXAMINATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS, ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT REVEALED NO MALFUNCTIONS. THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER WAS ANALYZED AND THE DATA REVEALED SOME LATERAL CONTROL MOVEMENT THAT IS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH TURBULENCE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,993 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 40,000 lb
- Seats: 50
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA at 5:50 am
- Destination: LVS NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 50 knots
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 5°F (-15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 22 |
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.