Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 601 accident near Boulder City, Nevada, July 12, 1997
On July 12, 1997, a Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 601, registered N7435S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada (Boulder City Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, his failure to obtain the current wind information, his selection of the wrong runway, and his delay in aborting landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1997
- Place
- Boulder City, Nevada · Boulder City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith, Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 601 AEROSTAR 6
- Registration
- N7435S · no longer on the register · serial 61-0020
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Interviews with pilots and the UNICOM operator revealed that the pilot did not receive any airport related weather information prior to his landing attempt. He said that he believed he had only a 10-knot tailwind when he initiated his landing attempt on runway 33, which he chose because it was uphill. The pilot said that he realized that he was not going to be able to successfully land the aircraft and elected to go-around. After retracting the landing gear and applying full power the airframe began to buffet and he elected to set the aircraft on the runway rather than stall the aircraft. The airport UNICOM operator reported that her first contact with the aircraft was after the accident when the pilot called her by radio to ask for a radio check. Additionally, several witnesses reported that the winds were blowing between 30 and 40 mph from a southerly direction when the accident occurred. One party described the windsock as standing straight out.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,615 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,790 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 19, 1996; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,700 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming I0-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F70 Murrieta CA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: 61B
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 33, 3,850 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 14 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 22,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from LAS, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.