Cessna 172S accident near Incline Village, Nevada, August 8, 2008
On August 8, 2008 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N15963, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Incline Village, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to initiate a flight for which he was neither approved nor qualified and his failure to maintain terrain clearance during the flight. Contributing to the accident were the dark night, the mountainous terrain, and the pilot's medical condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2008 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Incline Village, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N15963 · no longer on the register · serial 17259904
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot initiated a 160-nautical-mile night cross-country flight without approval from his flight instructor for the intended purpose of gambling at a casino. Radar data and wreckage distribution were consistent with the airplane making a gradual controlled descent from cruise flight and impacting mountainous terrain on a direct course toward the intended destination. No preimpact anomalies were noted during examination of the airframe and engine. The pilot's total flight time was approximately 97 hours, of which 19 hours were solo. His total night flight time was 1.8 hours dual instruction, which took place during a single flight on the night before the accident. He had made solo cross-country flights to airports less than 50 nautical miles from his home airport, but had not yet received training in cross-country flight planning. Toxicological testing revealed that the pilot, a physician diagnosed with substance dependence, had been using cocaine and taking two prescription medications (lamotrigine and quetiapine) often used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, as well as a prescription antidepressant (fluoxetine), though the levels detected indicated he had not used cocaine within 24 hours of the accident and had likely recently discontinued use of the medications. Additionally, the testing detected buprenorphine, a prescription narcotic medication, at a level consistent with the chronic use of the medication for treating opioid dependence. The pilot had been treated on multiple occasions for substance dependence and abuse. The relatively recent use of a stimulant (cocaine), recent discontinuation of prescription medications, gambling, and the apparent intent to fly cross-country at night while a student pilot without approval from his instructor all are actions consistent with the pilot being in a manic episode of bipolar disorder at the time of the accident. It is also possible that he was experiencing some cognitive impairment as a result of his use of buprenorphine for the treatment of substance dependence.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › Use of medication/drugs › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › Predisposing condition › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Response/compensation
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 97 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 19 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,259 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 10, 2008; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Advantage Aviation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PAO Palo Alto CA at 3:10 am
- Destination: RNO Reno NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 am from RNO, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N15963 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.