Piper PA28R-180 accident near Reno, Nevada, September 12, 1997
On September 12, 1997 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Piper PA28R-180, registered N69645, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno Tahoe International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed during a go-around, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush. Factors in the accident were: the pilot's lack of qualification in the aircraft; the FAA pilot certification system's failure to transfer the medical limitations imposed on the pilot to his private pilot certificate; the pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight fuel planning/decisions that caused the aircraft to arrive with a critically low fuel state, which resulted in a momentary loss of power due to an unporting of the fuel tank supply pickup at a critical time in the go-around; and, the maintenance facilities' failure to properly connect the landing gear indicator circuit breaker to the bus pane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 1997 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno Tahoe International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28R-180 · all PA28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N69645 · no longer on the register · serial 28R-30781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the landing gear down lights did not come on and he executed a go-around so the air traffic control tower personnel could visually check the gear's position. The tower personnel confirmed that the gear appeared down. On crosswind, the aircraft descended and struck a fence. The pilot said the engine began sputtering when he initiated the climb. Witnesses, including another pilot in the traffic pattern, reported seeing the aircraft in a nose high attitude with the wings oscillating before the aircraft entered a stall and descended behind buildings. The pilot was in the left seat for the flight. A Statement of Demonstrated Ability was issued on March 17, 1987, for a right arm amputation from the shoulder down on the basis of a special medical flight test in a non-complex Piper PA28-180. The FAA inspector who conducted the flight test issued a student pilot certificate with several limitations, which were not transferred to his subsequent temporary and permanent pilot certificates as required by pertinent FAA Orders. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) who flew with the pilot just before this flight noted that he had many difficulties in controlling the aircraft and working the trim, adjusting the power settings, operating the gear controls, talking on the radio, and moving the flap control handle. In any of those operations, the pilot had to hold the yoke with his knees and reach across his body. The CFI said the pilot needed more work and did not endorse him for high performance aircraft. Post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed no evidence of failure or malfunction with the flight controls or engine. Fuel system continuity was established. A measured 2.5 gallons were drained from the left wing tank and 1.5 gallons from the right wing tank (unusable fuel in each tank is 1-gallon). A screw that attaches to the bus was found to be missing from the landing gear indicator circuit breaker. The system had been worked on by a maintenance facility just before the flight. Prior to the 4.5-hour accident flight, the pilot had logged 3 hours in high performance aircraft with a CFI. Most of the aircraft controls, normal and emergency, are on the pilot's right side. The pilot wore no prosthetic device during the accident flight. None of the passengers were rated pilots.
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: 450 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,238 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-BIE (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGD Ogden UT at 4:22 pm
- Destination: RNO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16R, 11,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 am from RNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.