N1891XCessna 182H · 1965

On September 19, 2019, about 1020 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182H, N1891X, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Nixon, Nevada. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The airplane departed Lake Tahoe Airport (TVL), South Lake Tahoe, California, about 0945 and was destined for Nampa Municipal Airport (MAN), Nampa, Idaho.

The pilot established contact with air traffic control personnel northeast of the Carson Airport (CXP), Carson, Nevada and requested visual flight rules (VFR) flight following to MAN. Communication was established and the airplane continued to fly towards its destination. While the airplane was flying over mountainous terrain north of Reno, Nevada, the controller observed the airplane enter a right turn and reverse course. The controller asked the pilot if he was returning to the Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO), to which there was no response. The controller attempted to re-establish radio communication with the airplane, but to no avail.

Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) tracking data associated with the accident airplane started about 10 miles northeast of TVL at an altitude of about 7,925 ft mean sea level (msl) as the airplane flew northeast. The airplane continued northeast about 8,000 ft until it entered a climb southeast of Reno, Nevada. The airplane leveled off about 10,000 ft msl and turned onto a north-northwesterly heading. The airplane continued flying between 10,000 and 10,500 ft over mountains with terrain elevations between about 7,500 – 8,000 ft. when it entered a descending right turn before the track ended at an altitude of 8,100 ft.

An alert notice (ALNOT) for the airplane was established about 20 minutes after the loss of radar contact. Search and rescue aerial efforts were hampered due to limited visibility surrounding the accident coordinates. Ground search efforts subsequently located the wreckage on steep mountainous terrain about 4 hours later near the last radar coordinates.

The pilot did not hold an instrument rating. According to the pilot logbook located within the wreckage, a total of about 3 hours of simulated instrument experience had been recorded, however, the logbook did not indicate a date as to when the simulated time had been accomplished.

No record was located indicating that the pilot received an official weather briefing.

Tilt weather radar imagery for the time of the accident indicated that light precipitation was present in the region; however, no reflectivity was present at the accident site. A loop of the imagery indicated that the reflectivity was moving generally from west-northwest to east-southeast through the region.

Surface observations at nearby airports from around the accident time indicated unlimited visibility and several layers of scattered, broken, and overcast clouds. The observation from Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO), Reno, Nevada, about 20 miles southwest of the accident site, indicated that the mountain tops were obscured to the southwest through northwest more than 10 miles away. Shortly after the accident occurred, the observation from RNO also remarked that the mountain tops to the northeast more than 10 miles away were obscured.

Weather satellite imagery at 1016 indicated cloudy conditions over the accident region with cloud tops over 20,000 ft msl. In addition, High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model sounding for the accident site suggested near-saturated conditions below about 9,000 ft msl. There were no active advisories for instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions or mountain obscuration; however, there was an active AIRMET for mountain obscuration conditions close to the accident site.

The airplane impacted a steep, about northwest to southeast orientated, mountain ridgeline about 6 miles southwest of Nixon, Nevada. The top of the ridgeline was about 8,000 ft. Dangerous conditions and steep terrain at the accident site precluded an on-site examination of the wreckage. According to recovery personnel, the airplane impacted a section of boulders on the east side, and just below the top of the ridgeline. Fragments of the forward fuselage, cowling, and nosewheel were in this area. The main wreckage, which included most of the airplane, was located slightly down the east side of the ridge, and the engine was located about 300 yards farther downslope of the main wreckage.

The airplane was examined at a secure facility following recovery. The airplane was heavily fragmented and exhibited extensive aft crush damage throughout. The cabin area exhibited heavy crush damage and was thermally damaged. Both wings were separated from the fuselage and were fractured into multiple pieces. The aft fuselage was crushed aft into the empennage. The empennage was mostly intact but exhibited aft crush damage and thermal damage. All flight controls were present, and continuity was established from the control surfaces to the cabin area.

The engine exhibited extensive damage. The propeller hub, blades, front two cylinders, forward portion of the crankcase, and the forward portion of the crankshaft were all fracture-separated and fragmented. The camshaft was mostly intact and was bent downward and aft. The crankshaft was fracture-separated just aft of the Nos. 5 and 6 cylinders; the fracture was consistent with overload. All cylinders exhibited extensive crush damage throughout; fragments of cylinders and crankcase were found within the wreckage. The pistons showed normal combustion deposits. The connecting rods, valve heads, rocker arms, and spark plugs all exhibited normal operating signatures. The carburetor, oil sump, oil filter, magnetos, ignition harness, exhaust and intake were all heavily fragmented, but were otherwise unremarkable. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office, Reno, Nevada, performed an autopsy of the pilot and determined the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot with negative results for ethanol or drugs.