No fatalities

PIPER PA-28R-200 accident at Las Vegas, NV, 15 May 2021

Las Vegas, NV, United States

On May 15, 2021, a PIPER PA-28R-200 operated by US Aviators was involved in an aviation accident near Las Vegas, NV. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor’s failure to compensate for a downdraft during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s failure to compensate for a downdraft during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with terrain.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

Instructor/check pilotResponse/compensation