Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Searchlight, Nevada, December 24, 1994
On December 24, 1994 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N3836T, was destroyed in an accident near Searchlight, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 instrument meteorological conditions in mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 1994 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Searchlight, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N3836T · registry record · serial 28R-30154
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN FOLLOWING AN ENCOUNTER WITH INSTRUMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS. WITNESSES 1 MILE AWAY SAID THE WEATHER AT THE TIME CONSISTED OF RAIN SHOWERS AND VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO IN CLOUDS. THE PILOT OBTAINED A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING IN WHICH VFR WAS NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO LOW CEILINGS, RAIN SHOWERS, RESTRICTED VISIBILITIES, AND ICING ALONG HIS PROJECTED ROUTE OF FLIGHT. AFTER THE BRIEFING, THE PILOT PHONED AN ASSOCIATE IN LOS ANGELES AND SAID HE WOULD TRY TO FLY SOUTH ALONG HIGHWAY 95 TO CLEAR THE MOUNTAINS AND THAT HE HAD TO STAY BELOW 5,000 MSL DUE TO THE FREEZING LEVEL. HIGHWAY 95 RUNS SOUTH FROM BOULDER CITY THROUGH THE ELDORADO MOUNTAINS. SEARCHLIGHT IS LOCATED IN A MOUNTAIN PASS AT THE HIGHEST POINT ALONG THE HIGHWAY. THE ACCIDENT SITE IS LOCATED ABOUT 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF SEARCHLIGHT AND 1/2 MILE EAST OF HIGHWAY 95. AT AN ELEVATION OF 4,200 FEET MSL, THE SITE IS 138 FEET BELOW THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. ON-SITE EXAMINATION BY FAA INSPECTORS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT MECHANICAL OR SYSTEM MALFUNCTION AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A ROCK OUTCROPPING IN NEAR-LEVEL FLIGHT.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 61B Boulder City NV at 8:20 pm
- Destination: POC La Verne CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from P06, 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.