Cessna 182E N9344X

Summary

On 20 May 2001 at about 18:50 local time, a Cessna 182E registered N9344X was involved in an accident near Fallon, Nevada, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 May 2001 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Fallon, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

39.5606, -119.1697

Aircraft

Cessna 182E

Registration

N9344X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hawthorne → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA182

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with a road sign during an emergency landing to a road. Contributing factors were the smoke created from a bird nest in the engine compartment, and the pilot's diverted attention due to an approaching car on the road.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After the private pilot noticed "a smell of something burning" during cruise flight, he elected to land the airplane on a highway. During the landing, he saw a car approaching. The car driver apparently did not see the landing airplane, and the pilot attempted to steer the airplane near the shoulder of the road. He was concentrating on the car and failed to see the sign positioned on the side of the road. The airplane's right wing impacted the sign, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed remnants of a bird nest on top of the No. 1 cylinder near the cabin heating system air intake.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.