Piper PA-28-180 N2164T

Summary

On 24 October 1998 at about 14:55 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N2164T was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 October 1998 at 14:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Reno, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

39.5197, -119.8096

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N2164T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Concord

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA014

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's disregard for five weather briefings and his attempted flight into known adverse weather conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following departure, the pilot climbed southwest and was attempting to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains from east to west when he reported encountering a downdraft. The pilot stated that he maintained best rate of climb airspeed and the aircraft continued to descend until it went below the tops of the surrounding ridges into a canyon which was too narrow to attempt a course reversal. As the ground neared, the pilot flared and the aircraft touched down in a rocky area on the mountainside and slid forward until contacting a boulder. The accident site is at the 7,500-foot level on a mountain 10 miles southwest of his departure airport. Transcripts of land line and air-to-ground communications established that the pilot received four preflight weather briefings and one in-flight weather update, and was advised each time that VFR flight was not recommended over his intended route due to an approaching cold front. Flight precautions were in effect for mountain obscurement, occasional moderate turbulence due increasing westerly winds, occasional moderate rime and mixed icing in clouds and precipitation, and forecast IFR conditions at his destination. An FAA inspector lives on the lower slopes of the mountain below the accident site. He reported that in the early morning hours the top of the mountain was obscured by clouds, with rain and lower ceilings occurring later in the morning. In addition, he stated that the hills which define the mountain pass (north of the accident site and west of the airport) through which the main east-west interstate highway traverses from Reno to Sacramento was obscured by ragged low clouds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.