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Accidents · NTSB SEA86LA114 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Eiriavion Oy PIK 20-D accident near Minden, Nevada, April 27, 1986

On April 27, 1986 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Eiriavion Oy PIK 20-D (glider), registered N6VS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minden, Nevada (Douglas County Airport). 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 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
April 27, 1986 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 1986
Place
Minden, Nevada · Douglas County Airport · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Eiriavion Oy PIK 20-D · all PIK 20-Ds on the register
Registration
N6VS · registry record · serial 20609
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE COCKPIT CANOPY OPENED DURING TAKEOFF ROLL. THE GLIDER BECAME AIRBORNE AND CLIMBED TO AN ALT OF APRX 10 FT AGL BEFORE DESCENDING TO GROUND IMPACT IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE.

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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 164 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 98 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: frt

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 200 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1985
  • Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 30, 5,300 ft by 75 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
  • Visibility: 30 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 14,000 ft
  • Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA86LA114.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.