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Atlas / NTSB / WPR24LA025

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR24LA025

2023-10-26 Reno, Nevada, United States Airport · RTS Serious 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N840KB

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE 840

Year of manufacture

1980 · 43 years old at event

Engine

AIRESEARCH TPE331 SERIES (904 hp)

Seats / Engines

11 seats · 2 engines

Last airworthiness date

20010801

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AB80BC

Registrant of record

ORION AERIAL LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot applicant’s excessive nose down pitch, and the check pilot’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in an impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The check pilot of the multi engine airplane reported that he was conducting a familiarization flight with a pilot that his company was in the process of hiring (pilot applicant.) On final approach, at approximately 100 ft above ground level, the pilot applicant made a pitch adjustment and the airplane’s nose pitched down excessively. Both pilots pulled back on the yokes to arrest the descent, but the airplane impacted terrain short of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The check pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained
  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR24LA025.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.