Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Pilot accused of flying while drunk after crash landing in Mesquite

Updated Thursday, July 18, 2019 | 3:15 p.m.

Ryan Raymond Dashiell

Ryan Raymond Dashiell

A pilot who survived a fiery crash landing at the Mesquite airport Wednesday night was arrested on suspicion of flying under the influence of alcohol, according to local and federal officials.

Ryan Dashiell, 41, of Spokane, Wash., the sole occupant of the twin-engine Cessna 550 jet, was not supposed to fly that type of aircraft without a certified co-pilot, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

Dashiell was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on a gross misdemeanor count, Sgt. Wyatt Oliver of the Mesquite Police Department said. He remained jailed this afternoon on $10,000 bond, jail records show.

Dashiell took off from Pasco, Wash., on a planned flight to Henderson Executive Airport, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said. For unknown reasons, he landed in Mesquite, officials said.

The plane caught fire while landing about 7:20 p.m., Gregor said. Dashiell was treated at a hospital for unspecified injuries, officials said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, Oliver said.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating, Gregor said. Such investigations typically take at least a year, he said.

Dashiell was certified as an airline transport pilot in 2015, FAA records show. The aircraft, manufactured in 1981, is registered to Oregon-based Avia Jet LLC, according to FAA records.