Piper PA-32-300 accident near Fallon, Nevada, November 30, 1993
On November 30, 1993 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N4081W, was destroyed in an accident near Fallon, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's intentional continued flight into known adverse weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1993 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fallon, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4081W · no longer on the register · serial 32-40127
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMPANY HOLDS A VFR ONLY 135 CERTIFICATE AND PERFORMS DAILY FLIGHTS TAKING WORKERS TO A MINE. BEFORE THE FLIGHT, NO WEATHER WAS OBTAINED FROM THE NWS OR FAA. THE WEATHER WAS CHECKED BY A CALL TO THE MINE AND BY LOOKING OUTSIDE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ONE OF THREE WHICH DEPARTED ON THE OUTBOUND AM TRIP. PILOTS OF THE OTHER TWO AIRCRAFT SAID THEY FOUND CEILINGS, MOUNTAIN OBSCUREMENT, AND SNOW SHOWERS EN ROUTE; THEY TURNED BACK, FLEW SOUTH ALONG THE MOUNTAINS, AND FOUND A CLEAR AREA TO CROSS. FOUR PASSENGERS FROM THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT SAID THEY ENCOUNTERED LOWERING CLOUDS AND SNOW SHOWERS. THE PILOT TURNED AROUND, FLEW SOUTH FOR A WHILE, THEN TOWARD A MOUNTAIN RANGE SADDLE. AS THEY ENTERED THE SADDLE, THE CLOUDS BECAME LOWER AND THEY COULD NOT SEE OUTSIDE. THE PILOT TRIED TO CLIMB, BUT WHEN TREES BEGAN FLASHING PAST THE SIDE WINDOWS, HE PULLED THE POWER OFF AND LEVELED THE WINGS JUST BEFORE COLLIDING WITH TREES AND THE SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINSIDE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 193 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,440 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 18, 1993; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fallon Aeromotive, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FLX at 2:15 pm
- Destination: NV30 Dixie Valley NV
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from NFL, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 2 |
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.