WPR22LA039

NTSB accident investigation · Iai 1125 Westwind Astra · North Las Vegas, NV · November 14, 2021

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal report
Date
November 14, 2021, 13:15 local (21:15 UTC)
Place
North Las Vegas, NV
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N771DXIai 1125 Westwind Astra
Defining event
Landing-landing roll: Landing area overshoot
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
FAA-FSDO
FAA report
20211114019529A
Case key
104272

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Probable cause

The pilot landed long and failed to deploy the thrust reversers, which resulted in a runway overrun and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane as a single pilot instead of the required minimum crew of two pilots.

Findings · 2

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot and a passenger departed on a local flight in an airplane that requires a minimum crew of 2 pilots. The airplane landed about halfway down the runway, with about 2,000 ft of runway remaining. The pilot did not deploy the thrust reversers and the airplane skidded about 965 ft down the runway and into the runway safety area. The airplane collided with a culvert, resulting in the separation of the landing gear and substantial damage to both wings.

Factual narrative

On November 14, 2021, about 1315 Pacific standard time, an IAI 1125 Westwind Astra airplane, N771DX, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada. The pilot and passenger were uninjured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration that he departed the North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada, and remained in the traffic pattern during the flight. He said that the nose landing gear indicator light was intermittent when the landing gear was extended before landing. The pilot aborted the first landing and reentered the pattern for a second attempt. Security video shows the airplane touching down with the landing gear fully extended with about 2,000 ft of runway remaining. The airplane’s thrust reversers were not deployed, and the airplane exited the departure end of the runway. The examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane landed at about the 2,000 ft runway marker, skidded about 965 ft down the runway and into the runway safety area. The airplane traveled over a concrete culvert, separating the nose landing gear and main landing gear. The wings sustained substantial damage. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was removed from the airplane and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board for download. The CVR unit had internal damage and did not record during the accident flight. The owner of the airplane reported that there was a potential buyer who was interested in the airplane, and that he provided the names of two pilots who were type rated in the accident airplane to the potential buyer. The potential buyer gave authorization for both pilots to conduct the pre-buy flight. The first pilot reported that, on the day of the accident, the passenger seated in the front right seat was not a pilot, but instead was a friend of his family. The second pilot approved to conduct the flight was in Florida on the day of the accident. According to the airplane’s type certificate, the airplane requires a minimum of two pilots for flight operations.

Aircraft

Registration
N771DX
Reported as
Iai 1125 Westwind Astra
Category
Airplane
Serial number
077
Built
1995
Engines
Honeywell TFE731-3C, turbo jetHoneywell TFE731-3C, turbo jet
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Transport
Destination
Same as departure
Airport
VGT · North Las Vegas, runway 30R, 4,199 × 75 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Unknown

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
33
Injuries
None
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Unknown
Seat
Right
Flight hours
3,360 total

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
79 °F, dew point 28 °F
Altimeter
30.15 inHg
Icing
Unknown
Turbulence
Unknown
Observed at
KVGT, 4 nm away
METAR
METAR KVGT 142153Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 26/M02 A3015 RMK AO2 SLP212 T02611022

Docket · 7

The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.