Amateur-built ONE DESIGN accident near No Las Vegas, Nevada, January 17, 1999
On January 17, 1999 at about 9:30 pm local time, a amateur-built ONE DESIGN, registered N857JA, was destroyed in an accident near No Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a personal 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
The separation of the left rudder control cable from the rudder horn due to the improper installation of a nicopress fitting that secured the cable to the control horn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 1999 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- No Las Vegas, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ONE DESIGN
- Registration
- N857JA · no longer on the register · serial 0004
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot indicated the purpose of the flight was to practice outside snap rolls. When he pressed on the left rudder pedal, it went all the way to the floor with no resistance. He reported that the airplane was in straight and level flight when he reached down to verify that the cable was detached, hoping to be able to control the airplane when he realized that the cable was slack from the rear of the airplane. He then informed the tower of the emergency. The airplane entered a right bank from which the pilot could not recover and he jumped out of the airplane and parachuted to safety. The airplane wreckage was examined. The right rudder cable was found continuous from the cockpit pedal to the rudder control horn, with the horn end of the cable secured with a nicopress fitting. The left rudder cable was attached to the cockpit pedal but was detached from the rudder horn. The left cable to horn nicopress fitting was not on the cable's horn end and the left rudder cable end exhibited long and even splaying. When the cable was stretched out, it went all the way back to the rudder horn and was nearly identical in length to the right cable. A search of the accident site failed to locate the missing nicopress fitting.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 640 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 525 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 66 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from VGT, 14 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.