Accident Overview
On November 14, 2021, at approximately 1315 Pacific standard time, an IAI 1125 Westwind Astra, registration N771DX, sustained substantial damage during a landing accident near Las Vegas, Nevada. The flight was operated by the pilot under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot and the sole passenger were uninjured.
Flight Details
The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration that the flight originated from North Las Vegas Airport (VGT) and remained in the traffic pattern. During the approach, the nose landing gear indicator light was intermittent when the landing gear was extended. The pilot aborted the first landing and entered the pattern for a second attempt. Security video footage captured the second landing, showing the airplane touching down with the landing gear fully extended with approximately 2,000 feet of runway remaining. The thrust reversers were not deployed, and the airplane subsequently exited the departure end of the runway.
Ground Track and Damage
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane touched down at about the 2,000-foot runway marker and skidded approximately 965 feet down the runway before entering the runway safety area. The airplane then traveled over a concrete culvert, which caused separation of 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; however, the CVR unit had internal damage and did not record during the accident flight.
Additional Information
The airplane owner reported that a potential buyer was interested in the aircraft and that he provided the names of two type-rated pilots to the potential buyer. The buyer authorized both pilots to conduct a pre-buy flight. The first pilot reported that on the day of the accident, the passenger in the front right seat was not a pilot but a family friend. The second pilot authorized to conduct the flight was in Florida on the day of the accident. According to the airplane's type certificate, the aircraft requires a minimum of two pilots for flight operations.