Christen Industries A-1 accident near Battle Mountain, Nevada, February 19, 1999
On February 19, 1999 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Christen Industries A-1, registered N2UJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Battle Mountain, Nevada. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to maintain clearance from terrain. A factor was the dust devil encountered by the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 1999 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Battle Mountain, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Christen Industries A-1
- Registration
- N2UJ · no longer on the register · serial 1140
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing pest control for the Department of Agriculture. He was over rolling terrain with winds at 5 knots gusting to 10 knots. After observing a coyote in a gully he set up a racetrack pattern. While still in a 10-degree bank prior to completion of the turn, the pilot stated he encountered a dust devil. The wing suddenly dropped and contacted the ground before he could take corrective action. The aircraft slid sideways and separated the right main landing gear before settling on its nose.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,545 hours in all; 844 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 6,408 as pilot in command; 2,043 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 880 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: US Dept Of Agriculture
The flight
- Departed from: BAM at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from EKO, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.