Winter storm delays investigation of plane crash near Las Vegas

A wintry storm expected to bring more than a foot of snow to the Las Vegas and Sheep Mountain ranges north of the Las Vegas Valley has put a stop to local recovery efforts for a downed aircraft that officials have said slammed into mountainous and remote terrain Tuesday evening.

“Recovery efforts may not take place until Friday and Saturday,” Metropolitan Police Department Lt. David Gordon said Wednesday. The department on Tuesday night had sent a helicopter to search the area.

The single-engine Cirrus SR22, capable of about 210 mph, crashed around 5:35 p.m. Tuesday. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane went down under unknown circumstances near Gass Peak, adjacent to the Las Vegas and Sheep mountain ranges, and caught fire.

Initial reports indicated that three people were on board, he said. Las Vegas police described the crash as “not survivable” on Tuesday night.

Gass Peak has an elevation of about 6,943 feet, looming about 4,900 feet above Las Vegas.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning through 4 a.m. Saturday for the mountains surrounding the valley.

As for the Sheep Mountain range, snow began falling around 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to meteorologist Chris Outler.

“Heavier and steadier snowfall” accompanied by gusty winds was expected well into Wednesday evening before a brief lull overnight, he said.

‘Very challenging terrain’

Still, without the inclement weather, the location of the crash presents its own set of problems, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The agency is leading the investigation into the crash.

“Our understanding is it is very challenging terrain,” spokesman Peter Knudson said, adding that “it is not clear at this point” when — if at all — an investigator will be able to access the site.

Generally, he said, there are two types of recovery efforts in such investigations.

The first would involve the recovery of victims, typically carried out by local authorities. The second would be the examination and recovery of the aircraft itself.

In some cases, an aircraft recovery company might be required to retrieve evidence if access to the site by an investigator is not be feasible.

The downed aircraft, with tail number N7GA, was registered to Baron Von Speed LCC, a local aviation company, according to the FAA.

Officials have not released information about the aircraft’s passengers, but state business records list Rachel Bergeron as a registered agent for Baron Von Speed and two managing members: Gregory Akers — a former Las Vegas air traffic controller — and Valeriya Slyzko.

Clark County marriage records show Akers and Slyzko were married in February 1998. No one answered the door at their listed Henderson address late Wednesday morning, but a neighbor, Rob Beaudry, described Akers as a “very pleasant guy.”

‘An intense fire’

Evertt Rogers, who lives on a large horse ranch near the southern base of the Sheep Mountain range, said he stepped outside Tuesday night after receiving a news alert on his phone about the crash.

“And there it was,” Rogers, 31, told the Review-Journal on Wednesday, “an intense fire burning on top of the mountain. The chopper was circling the peak of the mountain with a search light, and I could see the mountaintop.”

He doesn’t remember how long he stood outside watching, but “all of the sudden” the fire — which he said resembled a white light, unlike a regular camp fire — went out.

“The helicopter did a couple more rounds over the mountain, and then it came down the hill, along the slope, slowly,” Rogers said.

At the same time, Kris Korpi said he witnessed the moment the four-passenger aircraft slammed into the mountain from his 14th floor office in the Molasky building near downtown Las Vegas.

A visitor to his office prompted him to look out the window in the direction of Gass Peak, where he saw a fireball emanating from the mountain.

“Aircraft exploded on impact with flaming debris ejected across a narrow field limited by the steep gradient of the mountainside,” Korpi, 72, said in an email. “The fireball and debris field extinguished rapidly (20-25 seconds) and faint embers dropped below unaided visibility in less than two minutes.”

Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter. Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.

A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the location of Gass Peak.