Amateur-built R-2 accident near Reno, Nevada, August 18, 1988
On August 18, 1988 at about 4:45 pm local time, a amateur-built R-2, registered N711HM, was destroyed in an accident near Reno, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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, 1988 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built R-2
- Registration
- N711HM · registry record · serial 4
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT HAD BEEN FITTED WITH NEW OUTER WING PANELS OF ELLIPTICAL DESIGN AND WAS ON SIXTH TEST FLIGHT FOR RACING CERTIFICATION, EXPLORING G ENVELOPE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED RIGHT OUTER PANEL SEPARATED IN FLIGHT DURING MANEUVERING. FAILURE OCCURRED IN CENTER SECTION SPAR INBOARD OF THE PANEL ATTACH FITTING. NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF PRE-EXISTING DEFECT.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,329 hours in all; 242 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 31, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 860 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Explorer Aircraft Company
The flight
- Departed from: 4SD Reno NV at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from RNO, 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.