Piper PA-28-180 accident near Truckee, California, February 22, 1982
On February 22, 1982 at about 2:45 am local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N3646R, was destroyed in an accident near Truckee, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 1982 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- Truckee, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N3646R · no longer on the register · serial 5741
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT WAS ON A RETURN FLIGHT FROM LIVERMORE, CA TO TRUCKEE. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON A DARK NIGHT AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 6700 FT MSL IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE ANGLE OF IMPACT WAS ABOUT 25 DEGREES DOWNWARD ON A DOWN HILL SLOPE. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE REPORTED IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT. DONNER PASS WAS REPORTED TO BE CLOSED AT 1800 DUE TO THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF DONNER PASS.
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: 100 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,487 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 26 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: TRK Livermore CA at 5:41 pm
- Destination: LVK Truckee CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.