- Date
- May 26, 1987, 14:47 local (21:47 UTC)
- Place
- Battle Mountain, NV
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N20FUSocata TB10
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870526079189A
- Case key
- 40520
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
After receiving a weather briefing calling for mountains occasionally obscured, occasional moderate icing from 18000 ft & below, and ceilings across north & central Nevada, the noninstrument rated pilot filed a VFR flight plan and departed salt lake city for reno. En route pilot entered IMC mountainous area & attempted to climb to 12000 ft, minimum safe IFR altitude, after coordination with center. During climb and while in IMC loss of control occurred. Aircraft impacted Mountain ledge in nose low inverted attitude at high speed. Pilot had new autopilot and loran installed day before departing on accident trip. During stopover at Battle Mountain FBO tried to convince pilot to delay due to poor weather.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20FU
- Reported as
- Socata TB10
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 641
- Airframe hours
- 100
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James A. Banister
- Registered owner
- The Four Banisters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 18, 1987
- Departed
- SLC · Salt Lake City, UT
- Destination
- RNO · Reno, NV
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 147 total · 81 in this make and model · 112 as pilot in command · 72 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 350 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.