Cessna 182K accident near Pioneer, California, August 16, 1985
On August 16, 1985 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182K, registered N3169Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pioneer, California. 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 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
- August 16, 1985 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pioneer, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182K · all 182Ks on the register
- Registration
- N3169Q · no longer on the register · serial 18258169
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DOCUMENTS PROVIDED BY THE PLT ESTABLISHED THAT 45.5 GALLONS OF FUEL WERE LOADED ON THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO DEPARTURE FROM WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA, THE DAY PRIOR TO THEACCIDENT. THE FLT FLEW DIRECT TO MINDEN, NEVADA, A STRAIGHT LINE DISTANCE OF 170 NM, WHERE IT WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT. THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, THE PLT SAID HE DID A NORMAL PREFLIGHT BUT DID NOT VISUALLY CHECK THE FUEL TANK LEVELS. ON THE RETURN FLT TO WATSONVILLE, THE AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AND STRUCK TREES DURING THE FORCED LANDING ON A HIGHWAY. ACFT RETRIEVERS REPORTED COMPLETE AIRCRAFT SYSTEM INTEGRITY AND ONLY 2 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE TANKS WHEN THE ACFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE SITE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 819 hours in all; 225 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 769 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,649 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1984; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV Minden NV at 9:00 pm
- Destination: WVI Watsonville CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:49 pm from SAC, 15 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.
Other NTSB records under N3169Q 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.