Cessna 550 accident near Mesquite, Nevada, July 18, 2019
On July 18, 2019 at about 1:44 am local time, a 1981 Cessna 550, registered N320JT, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Mesquite, Nevada (Mesquite airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's operation of the airplane while intoxicated, which resulted in a loss of airplane control on landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2019 · about 1:44 am local time
- Place
- Mesquite, Nevada · Mesquite · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 550 No Series, built 1981 · all 550s on the register
- Registration
- N320JT · no longer on the register · serial 5500271
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While approaching class B airspace, the airline transport pilot was in communication with a controller who later stated that the pilot's speech was slurred, and the controller repeatedly asked if the oxygen system on the airplane was working properly. As the airplane approached a nearby airport, about 85 miles from his destination airport, the pilot stated he had the airport in sight and repeatedly requested a visual approach. The controller instructed the pilot to continue his flight to his destination, in a southwest direction. As the controller attempted to maintain communications, the pilot dropped off radar shortly after passing the nearby airport and subsequently landed at the nearby airport, which was not his destination airport. According to a surveillance video and impact marks on the runway, the airplane landed hard about halfway down the runway and slid to a stop on the left side of the runway. The airplane fuselage and wings were mostly consumed by postimpact fire. After authorities arrived onsite, the pilot was arrested for operating an aircraft under the influence of alcohol. The pilot was found to have a blood alcohol level of .288, which likely contributed to the pilot landing at the incorrect airport and his subsequent loss of airplane control during landing.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 15,800 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 6, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,000 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 15,100 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt And Whitney JT15-4 (turbojet); 2,153 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt And Whitney JT15-4 (turbojet); 2,153 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PSC Pasco WA at 11:25 pm
- Destination: HND Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 02, 5,121 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on May 10, 2022. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA ATC and radar Track Recording | video | View Download |
| 3 | Summary of Report-officer Report for Incident | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Summary of Record-blood Results | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Pd-photo Log | PDF, 47 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Security Footage | video | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.