Cessna 182P accident near Lovelock, Nevada, August 2, 1991
On August 2, 1991 at about 8:26 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1315S, was destroyed in an accident near Lovelock, 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE FOR OBSTRUCTION CLEARANCE, AND HIS INADEQUATE VISUAL SCAN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1991 · about 8:26 pm local time
- Place
- Lovelock, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1315S · no longer on the register · serial 64879
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS HEADED EASTBOUND WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE TOP STATIC CABLE OF A NORTH-SOUTH POWER TRANSMISSION LINE. THE POWER LINE CABLES PARALLELED A MOUNTAIN RANGE ON THE EASTERN SLOPE. THE CABLES WERE DOWN SLOPE FROM THE AIRPLANES DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AND WERE NOT SILHOUETTED AGAINST THE SKY WHEN VIEWED FROM THE WEST. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE CABLE AT ABOUT MID-SPAN OF THE APPROXIMATE 1/2 MILE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CABLE SUPPORT TOWERS. ONE OF THE TOWERS WAS MASKED FROM THE PILOT'S VIEW BY TERRAIN FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT PATH.
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: 668 hours in all; 412 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 610 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,460 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 1991; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Luftstorm INC
The flight
- Departed from: RNO Reno NV at 7:30 pm
- Destination: BAM Battle Mountain NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from LOL, 7 miles away
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.