Skip to content

WPR13CA373

2013-08-14 · Las Vegas, Nevada, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the initial climb following an aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inaccurate fuel planning which resulted in a low fuel state and subsequent precautionary off airport landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported during a cross-country flight, he received a low fuel warning indication about 29 miles short of his destination. He decided to make a precautionary landing to a paved road but was unsuccessful due to interference with an automobile. The pilot then selected a nearby dirt road, but aborted the landing due to excessive speed. After initiating a climb, he turned to the right to avoid rising terrain however, the airplane descended during the turn and the left main landing gear struck a small hill. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported during a cross-country flight, he received a low fuel warning indication about 29 miles short of his destination. He decided to make a precautionary landing to a paved road but was unsuccessful due to interference with an automobile. The pilot then selected a nearby dirt road, but aborted the landing due to excessive speed. After initiating a climb, he turned to the right to avoid rising terrain however, the airplane descended during the turn and the left main landing gear struck a small hill. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.       Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_WPR13CA373.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.