Miller SPECIAL JM-2 accident near Reno, Nevada, September 15, 1989
On September 15, 1989 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Miller SPECIAL JM-2, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N74M, was destroyed in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno airport). It was a personal flight 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
STRUCTURAL FAILURE WHEN DESIGN STRESS LIMITS WERE EXCEEDED AFTER ENCOUNTERING HAZARDOUS METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 1989 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Miller SPECIAL JM-2 SPECIAL JM, amateur-built
- Registration
- N74M · no longer on the register · serial M102
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN AIR RACE, WITNESSES REPORT THAT THE AIRPLANE FLEW THROUGH A DUST DEVIL PRIOR TO THE AIRPLANE BREAKING APART. THE DUST DEVIL WAS OBSERVED JUST OUTSIDE THE RACE COURSE ON THE PREVIOUS LAP BY ANOTHER PILOT. DUST DEVILS WERE REPORTED IN THE AREA THROUGHOUT THE DAY PRIOR TO THE RACE. THE AIRPLANES WERE ESTIMATED TO BE FLYING AT 250 MPH AT THE TIME.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 11, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from RNO, 11 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.