Piper PA-18-150 accident near Truckee, California, December 23, 2007
On December 23, 2007 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N9086Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Truckee, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of partial engine power during cruise for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the snow covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 2007 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Truckee, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N9086Y · no longer on the register · serial 18-8914
- 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 his engine started running rough while flying over mountainous terrain. There was a large snow covered meadow beneath him, so he circled it while trying to resolve his engine problem. His attempts to regain full power were unsuccessful. The airplane was equipped with large tundra tires, and the pilot believed that a precautionary landing under partial power was more prudent than proceeding to the nearest airport while crossing mountain ridges and over flying the surrounding forest. During a wheel landing in the snow, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The forward section of the airframe, both wings spars, and the vertical stabilizer were bent. The reason for the partial power loss was undetermined.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: airship
- Flight time: 7,685 hours in all; 143 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,678 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRK Truckee CA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 4SD Reno NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.51 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from TRK, 12 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.