Piper PA-28-180 accident near Reno, Nevada, March 6, 2004
On March 6, 2004 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N6367J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno/Stead Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's premature flare and failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulted in an inadvertent stall and a hard landing, which collapsed the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 2004 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno/Stead Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N6367J · no longer on the register · serial 28-4779
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced a hard landing. The pilot configured the airplane with a high angle of attack and was flying at a slow airspeed. While over the runway designation markings, the stall warning light flashed. About 50 to 60 feet above ground level, the airplane stalled, and the nose gear contacted the runway surface, with the main landing gear following immediately thereafter. The airplane was about 10 to 15 degrees in a nose down attitude when it contacted the runway. The nose wheel broke off immediately after contact, and the airplane skid on its nose a short distance down the runway. The damage to the airplane was consistent to that of a hard landing. After inspecting the landing gear, investigators found no evidence of abnormalities or mechanical malfunctions.
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: 173 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 81 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,071 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 2003; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O43 Yerington NV at 7:20 pm
- Destination: 4SD Reno NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,608 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from RNO, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.