Cessna 182C accident near Reno, Nevada, August 31, 1990
On August 31, 1990 at about 1:24 am local time, a Cessna 182C, registered N9021T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FUEL EXHAUSTION AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PERFORM REFUELING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1990 · about 1:24 am local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182C · all 182Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9021T · registry record · serial 18252901
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT WITH 55 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE PLANNED FLIGHT TIME TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT WAS 3.2 HOURS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE PROCEEDED TOWARDS THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS 12 MILES NORTH OF RENO CANNON INTL AIRPORT THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED A TOTAL POWER LOSS DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE AIRPLANE RECORDS AND THE HOBBSMETER INDICATE THE AIRPLANE HAD OPERATED 4.5 HOURS. THE FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS BASED ON THE PILOT'S FUEL CAPACITY STATEMENT DISCLOSED THAT THE AIRPLANE WOULD HAVE SUSTAINED TOTAL FUEL EXHAUSTION IN ABOUT 4.4 HOURS +/- 0.3 HOURS.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 190 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tango Air INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 3S2 Aurora OR at 10:15 pm
- Destination: TRK Truckee CA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:33 am from RNO, 1 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX90LA313.