Cessna 182E accident near Fallon, Nevada, May 20, 2001
On May 20, 2001 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N9344X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fallon, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 2001 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Fallon, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N9344X · no longer on the register · serial 18253744
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 570 hours in all; 331 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 554 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 27, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,075 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 2000; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HTH Hawthorne CA at 6:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.