Airport’s Second Fatal Crash This Month Under Investigation

A mid-air collision between a Globe GC-1B Swift and a Cessna 206 has left one confirmed fatality and two survivors. The accident occurred just before 10:00 am on September 16 near Nevada’s Minden-Tahoe Airport (MEV).

One aircraft, the Cessna, was able to return to the airport for landing, with the Globe crashing into a field off Highway 395 near Johnson Lane. The passenger and pilot on board the Cessna were unharmed. The pilot and sole occupant of the Globe has been confirmed dead.

Officers were dispatched at 9:47 a.m. after multiple witnesses reported seeing one of the aircraft go down. They told the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department that the Globe caught fire before crashing, and it was still engulfed in flames when the East Fork Fire Protection unit arrived.

Sheriff Dan Coverley confirmed that one of the aircraft involved is a part of the local Civil Air Patrol. This is believed to be the Cessna 206, which is a part of NV 067 - Douglas County Composite Squadron’s fleet. 

One runway is open for operations at the Minden-Tahoe Airport while authorities investigate and clear the area. The NTSB will document the scene and analyze the aircraft before being able to determine the cause of the crash. For now, it remains unclear how the mid-air collision occurred.

The accident is Minden-Tahoe Airport’s second fatal crash within a month. On August 20, just after 8:00 am, an aircraft with a pilot and passenger on board crashed on takeoff. It was an experimental Lockwood AirCam. One fatality, 68-year-old pilot Randal Abraham, was confirmed and the airport was temporarily closed.

Both of these crashes are under ongoing investigations by the FAA and NTSB with further details awaiting release.

FMI: www.mindentahoeairport.com