Piper PA-28-140 accident near Pioche, Nevada, September 26, 2005
On September 26, 2005 at about 3:54 am local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N5031T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pioche, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
controlled flight into mountainous terrain due to the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation and his inadequate in-flight decisions, which created a low fuel state emergency situation that led directly to the CFIT during flight assist efforts by controllers.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2005 · about 3:54 am local time
- Place
- Pioche, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N5031T · registry record · serial 28-7225323
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight on a dark night, the airplane collided with a mountain while diverting to an alternate airport due to a low fuel state. According to the pilot, he fueled the airplane with 48 gallons of fuel and departed Cedar City, Utah, with full tanks. He arrived at Elko 2 hours later, did a touch-and-go landing and takeoff, and then departed for the return trip to Cedar City. His route of flight took him over the Ely, Nevada, airport, where he noted the fuel gauges were running low. He made three unsuccessful attempts to activate the runway lights so that he could land and refuel the airplane. When he was unable to activate the runway lights, he decided to continue the flight to his destination. The pilot stated that when he was about 90 nautical miles beyond Ely he realized that his flight was taking longer than expected and one fuel gauge was showing less than 5 gallons and the other one was showing 5 gallons. He contacted Salt Lake ARTCC and communicated his low fuel situation to the controller, who then vectored the pilot south towards an airport at Panaca, Nevada. The pilot reported to the controller that one of the fuel tanks had run dry. The controller then told him that a highway was directly underneath the pilot's location; however, the pilot could not identify the road due to the dark night conditions. The controller then asked the pilot if he was able to climb for terrain clearance, to which the pilot replied negatively. At that point, the controller instructed the pilot to turn to a heading of 180 degrees for terrain avoidance and the pilot was complying with the turn instructions when he simultaneously saw and crashed into the mountain. According to the airplane manufacturer, the airplane's total fuel capacity is 50 gallons, of which 2 gallons (1 gallon each side) is unusable for flight. According to the manufacturer, the airplane's typical fuel burn is about 10 gallons of fuel an hour. The airplane had been airborne about 5 hours when the accident happened.
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: 102 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 63 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,895.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2005; 60.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EKO Elko NV at 2:40 am
- Destination: CDC Cedar City UT
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from CDC, 63 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.