Avia Stroitel AC-5M accident near Kingston, Nevada, May 19, 2012
On May 19, 2012 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Avia Stroitel AC-5M (glider), registered N186P, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Kingston, Nevada. 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
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the glider while maneuvering in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2012 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Kingston, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Avia Stroitel AC-5M · all AC-5Ms on the register
- Registration
- N186P · registry record · serial 014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the motor-glider, who was flying with the motor stowed, had just crossed over a ridge at an altitude of about 500-600 feet above the ground, when he entered a thermal and began to climb. Soon thereafter the glider’s bank angle increased to the point where the pilot was apparently unable to maintain control of the glider. He jettisoned the glider’s canopy and bailed out, but was unable to open his parachute before impacting the terrain. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,375 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 54 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 5, 2012; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 661 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Zanzottera MZ-35R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N15 Kingston NV at 10:00 pm
- Destination: Kingston NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on January 25, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Witness Statements from Police Reports | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Witness Thiss | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Witness Prather | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N186P on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Avia Stroitel AC-5 15 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Avia Stroitel 21 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Zanzottera MZ-35R · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kingston Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Nevada 1,294 since 1982 · 223 in the last ten years
- Nevada 4,582 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR12LA218.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.