Cessna 172 accident near Montgomery Pass, Nevada, June 5, 1993
On June 5, 1993 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6185E, was destroyed in an accident near Montgomery Pass, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S POOR PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION AND INTENTIONAL FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS RELATING TO THIS ACCIDENT WERE THE DOWNDRAFT, LOW CEILING, RAIN, OBSCURATION, AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 1993 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Montgomery Pass, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6185E · no longer on the register · serial 46285
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NONINSTRUMENT RATED PILOT DEPARTED TOWARD AN AREA OF KNOWN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITH THE MOUNTAIN TOPS OBSCURED BY CLOUDS AND RAIN. WHEN THE AIRPLANE APPROACHED THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA THE PILOT EXECUTED A 180 DEGREE TURN. THE RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN DURING THE TURN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY PREIMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES
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: 867 hours in all; 855 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 845 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,524 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 13, 1992; 170 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TPH Tonopah NV at 8:30 pm
- Destination: BIH Bishop CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from TPH, 67 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.
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.