Cessna 182P accident near Dayton, Nevada, July 30, 1993
On July 30, 1993 at about 12:51 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N8185M, was destroyed in an accident near Dayton, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN ALTITUDE SUFFICIENT TO CLEAR TERRAIN DUE TO ALCOHOL AND DRUG IMPAIRMENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1993 · about 12:51 pm local time
- Place
- Dayton, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N8185M · no longer on the register · serial 64554
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN STOLEN FROM A FLYING CLUB. THE PILOT HAD ALSO BROKEN INTO ANOTHER AIRPLANE PARKED ADJACENT TO THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE AND LEFT A BOTTLE OF RUM. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN ABOUT 6 MI SE OF DAYTON. THE PILOT'S TOXICOLOGICAL RESULTS WERE POSITIVE FOR ALCOHOL; ETHANOL WAS DETECTED IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD, VITREOUS FLUID, AND BILE AT CONCENTRATIONS OF 79 MG/DL (0.079%), 113 MG/DL (0.113%), AND 97 MG/DL (0.097%), RESPECTIVELY. IN ADDITION, CHLORDIAZEPOXIDE AND NORDIAZEPAM WERE DETECTED IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD AND LIVER. CONCENTRATION OF CHLORDIAZEPOXIDE IN THE BLOOD WAS 0.864 UG/DL, CONCENTRATION OF NORDIAZEPAM IN THE LIVER WAS 0.996 UG/DL. CHLORDIAZEPOXIDE SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH ALCOHOL USE.
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: 560 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,012 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 27, 1992; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVL S. Lake Tahoe CA at 7:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:51 pm from RNO, 26 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.