Cessna 182Q N95726

Summary

On 29 October 1998 at about 15:45 local time, a Cessna 182Q registered N95726 was involved in an accident near Nixon, Nevada, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 October 1998 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Nixon, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

39.8899, -119.2810

Aircraft

Cessna 182Q

Registration

N95726

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grass Valley → Winnemucca

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99FA020

3 people died.

The noninstrument rated pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during an attempted flight into adverse weather which resulted in inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors in the accident were the pilot's failure to obtain an updated briefing prior to departure, and icing conditions encountered after entering the clouds.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noninstrument rated pilot was en route VFR on a northeasterly course to the destination. During the last 8 minutes of the flight, recorded radar data showed the aircraft descending from 14,500 feet to 13,000 feet, on a southwesterly course until the aircraft abruptly entered a left descending spiral and disappeared from radar near the accident site. Meteorological data and pilot reports showed cloud tops in the area near 15,000 feet with higher tops further east and rime icing probable in the clouds. The pilot received a weather briefing from flight service the previous evening (11 hours before the flight) which forecast VFR conditions along the route. The pilot did not receive any further briefing before departing the following morning. Updated weather, available in the morning, contained reports of poorer weather than previously forecast.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.