Amateur-built EXECUTIVE accident near Elko, Nevada, March 20, 1988
On March 20, 1988 at about 1:00 am local time, a amateur-built EXECUTIVE (gyroplane), registered N5045J, was destroyed in an accident near Elko, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- March 20, 1988 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Elko, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EXECUTIVE
- Registration
- N5045J · no longer on the register · serial TH-1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE A LANDING ON SLOPING TERRAIN. THE GYROCOPTER ROLLED TO THE LEFT WITH THE MAIN ROTOR STRIKING SAGE BRUSH. THE ENGINE WAS TWISTED FROM ITS MOUNTS RUPTURING A FUEL LINE. A FIRE RESULTED CONSUMING THE GYROCOPTER. THE PILOT DID NOT HOLD A PILOT OR MEDICAL CERTIFICATE BUT REPORTED 155 HOURS EXPERIENCE IN THE AIRCRAFT.
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
- Flight time: 155 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway 152 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Elko NV at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.