Amateur-built W - 8 accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, August 18, 1984
On August 18, 1984 at about 2:40 pm local time, a amateur-built W - 8, registered N7599V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada (Las Vegas-Henderson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1984 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · Las Vegas-Henderson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built W - 8
- Registration
- N7599V · no longer on the register · serial 46
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, PLT SWITCHED FROM FRONT TO REAR FUEL TANK AT WHICH TIME A TTL LOSS OF PWR OCCURRED. REMEDIAL ACTION WAS ATTEMPTED BUT NO PWR WAS REGAINED. UNABLE TO RETURN TO THE ARPT, PLT APPLIED FULL FLAPS AND STALLED THE ACFT APRX 15 FT AGL OVER THE ROUGH TERRAIN. ACFT WAS REFUELED THE NIGHT PRIOR TO THIS FLT. PLT FAILED TO DRAIN FUEL TANKS ON THE MORNING OF THE FLT. WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL FILTER, FUEL PUMP, AND CARBURETOR.
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: 1,500 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 950 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 15, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,366 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: SDL Scottsdale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 14,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from LAS, 10 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.