Cessna 172P accident near Virginia City, Nevada, October 6, 1983
On October 6, 1983 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N65966, was substantially damaged in an accident near Virginia City, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- October 6, 1983 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Virginia City, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N65966 · registry record · serial 75935
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN WHILE ON A PHOTOGRAPHIC FLT FOR NAT'L GEOGRAPHIC OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AROUND VIRGINIA CITY. A WITNESS SAID THE ACFT FLEW TOO LOW AND SLOW AND HIT THE UP-SLOPE TERRAIN WITH THE LEFT LANDING GEAR WHILE CIRCLING. THE ACFT NOSED OVER AND ENDED UP INVERTED. THE PILOT STATED ON THE FORM 6120.1 THAT SHE EXPERIENCED A POWER INTERRUPTION. HOWEVER, THE PILOT TOLD HER EMPLOYER THAT SHE WAS LOW AND SLOW ON THIS FLT AND THE EMPLOYER RELAYED THE INFORMATION TO THE INVESTIGATOR.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,885 hours in all; 289 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 4,439 as pilot in command; 1,444 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 29, 1983; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carson Tahoe Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 004 Carson City NV at 1:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:30 am from RNO, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.