- Date
- November 26, 1985, 15:12 local (23:12 UTC)
- Place
- Panaca, NV
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N999TGGriffin, Thomas Modified KR-Z
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851126058669A
- Case key
- 40307
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A witness to the accident observed the aircraft climb straight ahead and make a shallow left 90 degree turn. The aircraft was then observed to resume level flight. The aircraft then slowly wen into a bank and fell off into a dive striking the ground. This was the first test flight for this aircraft. No failure or malfunction was found in the airframe, power plant or flight controls. No stall warning system was installed on this aircraft. On autopsy the medical examiners opinion was that the pilots death was caused by multiple extreme traumatic injuries. The pilot had had a coronary bypass operation. The pilot probably entered into a stall during the turn to downwind with insufficient altitude available for recovery.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N999TG
- Reported as
- Griffin, Thomas Modified KR-Z (MODIFIED K)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 100
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Griffin, Thomas A, doing business as Or Griffin, Marian E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · November 2, 1985
- Departed
- 1L1 · Pacana, NV
- Destination
- 1L1 · Panaca, NV
- Airport
- 1L1 · Panaca, runway 17, 1,620 × 60 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 704 total · 1 in this make and model · 704 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 2 knots, gusting 4
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.