Flight History
On September 19, 2019, at approximately 1020 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182H (registration N1891X) was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Nixon, Nevada. The aircraft was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. It had departed Lake Tahoe Airport (TVL) in South Lake Tahoe, California, around 0945, destined for Nampa Municipal Airport (MAN) in Nampa, Idaho.
The pilot established contact with air traffic control northeast of Carson Airport (CXP) in Carson, Nevada, requesting visual flight rules (VFR) flight following. While flying over mountainous terrain north of Reno, Nevada, the controller observed the airplane enter a right turn and reverse its course. The controller asked if the pilot was returning to Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO), but received no response. Subsequent attempts to re-establish radio communication were unsuccessful.
Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data showed the airplane starting about 10 miles northeast of TVL at 7,925 ft mean sea level (msl), flying northeast. It climbed to about 10,000 ft msl, turned to a north-northwesterly heading, and continued between 10,000 and 10,500 ft over mountains with terrain elevations of 7,500 to 8,000 ft. The data ended as the airplane entered a descending right turn at 8,100 ft.
An alert notice (ALNOT) was issued about 20 minutes after loss of radar contact. Search and rescue efforts were hampered by limited visibility. Ground searchers located the wreckage approximately 4 hours later on steep mountainous terrain near the last radar coordinates.
Weather Conditions
No record indicated that the pilot received an official weather briefing. Regional weather radar showed light precipitation moving west-northwest to east-southeast, but no reflectivity at the accident site. Surface observations from nearby airports reported unlimited visibility with scattered, broken, and overcast cloud layers. At Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO), about 20 miles southwest of the accident site, mountain tops were obscured to the southwest through northwest more than 10 miles away. Shortly after the accident, mountain tops to the northeast were also reported obscured.
Satellite imagery at 1016 showed cloudy conditions over the accident region with cloud tops exceeding 20,000 ft msl. High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model data indicated near-saturated conditions below about 9,000 ft msl. No active advisories for instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions or mountain obscuration were in effect, though an AIRMET for mountain obscuration was active close to the accident site.
Wreckage and Examination
The airplane struck a steep mountain ridgeline oriented northwest to southeast, about 6 miles southwest of Nixon, at an elevation of about 8,000 ft. Impact occurred on the east side of the ridgeline just below the top, where fragments of the forward fuselage, cowling, and nosewheel were found. The main wreckage rested slightly downslope, with the engine located about 300 yards farther downslope.
Post-recovery examination at a secure facility revealed the airplane was heavily fragmented with extensive aft crush damage. The cabin area exhibited heavy crush and thermal damage. Both wings were separated from the fuselage and fractured into multiple pieces. The aft fuselage was crushed aft into the empennage, which remained mostly intact but showed aft crush and thermal damage. Flight control continuity was established from the control surfaces to the cabin.
The engine sustained extensive damage: the propeller hub, blades, front two cylinders, forward crankcase, and forward crankshaft were fractured and fragmented. The camshaft was bent downward and aft. The crankshaft was fracture-separated aft of the Nos. 5 and 6 cylinders, consistent with overload. All cylinders showed severe crush damage. Pistons exhibited normal combustion deposits, and connecting rods, valve heads, rocker arms, and spark plugs operated normally. The carburetor, oil sump, oil filter, magnetos, ignition harness, and exhaust/intake components were heavily fragmented but otherwise unremarkable. No pre-impact anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Toxicology
The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Forensic toxicology tests on the pilot were negative for ethanol and drugs.
Pilot Information
The pilot did not hold an instrument rating. A pilot logbook recovered from the wreckage recorded approximately 3 hours of simulated instrument experience, but no date for that training was indicated.