Cessna 172 accident near Boulder City, Nevada, July 21, 1996
On July 21, 1996 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6389D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada (Boulder City Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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
a loss of directional control due to the student pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and improper remedial action. Factors in the accident were crosswinds, inadvertent brake application, and failure to use the ailerons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1996 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder City, Nevada · Boulder City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6389D · no longer on the register · serial 17272775
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot inadvertently applied the right brake while trying to correct for a right crosswind on runway 27L. The airplane's wheel locked up and the airplane skidded off the left side of the runway. The pilot did not use the ailerons to help maintain directional control. The airplane nosed over in soft soil damaging the vertical stabilizer. The winds at the airport were reported by a local fixed-base operation to be 170 degrees at 5 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: student
- Flight time: 64 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,774 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 15, 1996; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAS Las Vegas NV at 3:20 pm
- Destination: 61B
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27L, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from LAS, 16 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.