On August 8, 2008, a CESSNA 172S (registration N15963) operated by Advantage Aviation Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Incline Village, NV. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to initiate a flight for which he was neither approved nor qualified and his failure to maintain terrain clearance during the flight. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
On August 7, 2008, a Cessna 172S, N15963, struck mountainous terrain near Incline Village, Nevada, killing the sole occupant, a student pilot. The flight was a night cross-country trip from Palo Alto, California, to Reno, Nevada.
Flight and Accident Overview On August 7, 2008, at approximately 2130 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N15963, impacted mountainous terrain during descent near Incline Village, Nevada. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the student pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. The airplane was registered to and operated by Advantage Aviation, Inc., of Palo Alto, California. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight that departed from Palo Alto about 2010, with Reno, Nevada, as the intended destination. ## Pilot Background and Training The pilot, age 41, held a third-class medical certificate and a student pilot certificate issued on December 20, 2007, with a limitation requiring corrective lenses. The certificate included an endorsement for solo flight in Cessna 172S airplanes dated April 20, 2008, but the section for solo cross-country endorsements was not completed. The pilot's total flight time was approximately 97 hours, including 78 hours of dual instruction and 19 hours solo, nearly all in Cessna 172 airplanes. He had only 1.8 hours of dual instruction at night, completed in a single flight on August 6, 2008, and no solo night time. His solo cross-country flights had been to airports less than 50 nautical miles from Palo Alto. The flight instructor reported that the pilot was not yet endorsed for cross-country flight and was not authorized by the operator to conduct the 160-nautical-mile flight. ## Aircraft and Meteorological Conditions The 2005 model Cessna Skyhawk SP had received its most recent 100-hour inspection on June 10, 2008, at a total time of 1,184.7 hours, with no uncorrected maintenance discrepancies noted. The aircraft was equipped with a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit and a Bendix/King KAP 140 two-axis autopilot. The operator's fueling procedure was to fill the tanks to the tabs after each flight, providing 35 gallons of usable fuel, enough for about 3 hours with a 1/2 hour reserve. The airplane had been fueled back to the tabs before the accident flight. At 2055, weather at Reno/Tahoe International Airport, 17 nautical miles northeast of the accident site, reported wind from 280 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 18 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 14,000 feet, temperature 27 degrees Celsius, dew point 5 degrees Celsius, and altimeter setting 29.97 inches of mercury. The sun set at Incline Village at 2005, and civil twilight ended at 2034, with the moon a 40 percent crescent. ## Wreckage and Impact Examination The wreckage path was down slope, approximately 1,760 feet long, on a heading of 065 degrees. The first tree impact occurred at an elevation of 8,830 feet, approximately 50 feet above the ground, and the main wreckage was located at 8,605 feet. The nose landing gear, right wing, right horizontal stabilizer, and engine separated from the fuselage. All flight controls remained attached to airframe components, and flight control continuity was established. Flap actuator measurement indicated a retracted flap position. No preimpact anomalies were noted with the airframe or engine. The propeller remained attached to the engine, with both blades displaying leading edge damage, twisting, and 'S' bending. Engine examination revealed no pre-impact anomalies, with all four cylinders producing thumb compression and both magnetos producing spark. ## Medical and Pathological Findings An autopsy by the Washoe County Medical Examiner/Coroner, Reno, reported the cause of death as multiple injuries due to blunt force trauma. Toxicology tests were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol, but detected various drugs, including benzoylecgonine, buprenorphine, fluoxetine, lamotrigine, norbuprenorphine, norfluoxetine, oxymetazoline, and quetiapine. The pilot's FAA medical records indicated his only application for a third-class Airman Medical Certificate and Student Pilot Certificate was on December 20, 2007, with 'No' for current medication use but 'Yes' for hospital admission and other illness, disability, or surgery. The Executive Director of the Medical Board of California filed an Accusation against the pilot, a physician, on April 22, 2008, documenting a history of substance dependence and abuse for more than 10 years preceding the accident, involving misuse of at least 4 different substances, including alcohol, and treatment through at least 6 different programs for substance-related disorders. The pilot's spouse stated he was being treated for 'addiction' and 'anxiety and depression' at the time of the accident.