Amateur-built BD 4 accident near Dayton, Nevada, June 3, 2014
On June 3, 2014 at about 9:10 pm local time, a 1975 amateur-built BD 4, registered N11DV, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Dayton, Nevada (Dayton/Carson City 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
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack during the turn onto the final base leg in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a stall/spin at too low an altitude to allow recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2014 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Dayton, Nevada · Dayton/Carson City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BD 4, built 1975
- Registration
- N11DV · no longer on the register · serial 333
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot had flown the airplane for over 1 hour, including a fuel stop and an instrument approach, before returning to his home airport. During this time, the airplane's owner/builder, who was also a pilot, was in radio contact with the pilot. He reported that the pilot called downwind for landing and then left base to final. The pilot did not report any problems with the airplane; he said that it was flying beautifully and that all of the instruments were in the normal range. The owner and another witness reported that, as the pilot transmitted that he was turning onto the final base leg for landing, they saw the airplane enter a spin before it hit the ground. The owner reported that the wind was from 250 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 15 knots. A weather report from an airport 9 nautical miles southwest of the accident airport reported similar conditions. An examination of the wreckage did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicology testing of the pilot detected fexofenadine, a nonsedating allergy medicine, in his urine but not in his blood; therefore, the medication would not have been causing systemic effects at the time of the accident. The autopsy identified an enlarged heart with moderate-to-severe atherosclerosis of all of the main coronary arteries but no evidence of heart muscle damage. Although the coronary artery disease would have increased the pilot's risk of impairment, the investigation found no evidence that he had experienced prior symptoms and could not determine if the disease caused the pilot symptoms during the flight or contributed to the accident. It is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed during the turn onto the final base leg in gusting wind conditions and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin.
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 approach (VFR pattern base) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,829 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 2,637 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 12, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,233 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 18, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Chevrolet 350 (piston); 49 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV Minden NV at 8:00 pm
- Destination: MEV Minden NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,260 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 pm from KCXP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.