Cessna TR182RG accident near Reno, Nevada, January 27, 1986
On January 27, 1986 at about 7:19 pm local time, a Cessna TR182RG, registered N2341S, was destroyed in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno Cannon International airport). It was a personal flight 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 1986 · about 7:19 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno Cannon International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182RG · all TR182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N2341S · no longer on the register · serial R18201332
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS FLYING HIS CESSNA TR182RG BACK TO RENO CANNON AIRPORT, A FACILITY WITH A FREQUENT MIXTURE OF LIGHT GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT AND HEAVY TURBINE AIR CARRIER OPERATIONS. THE PILOT HAD ACQUIRED THE MAJORITY OF HIS TERMINAL EXPERIENCE IN AND AROUND THE RENO CANNON AIRPORT. APPROACHING THE AIRPORT UNDER A VFR FLIGHT PLAN AND IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, THE PILOT WAS ISSUED TRAFFIC ADVISORIES ON 3 OCCASIONS REFERENCING A FRONTIER BOEING 737 AND TWICE CONFIRMED THE JET IN SIGHT. WITNESSES REPORTED OBSERVING THE AIRCRAFT ROLL RAPIDLY INTO A STEEP DESCENDING NOSE LOW ATTITUDE AND COLLIDE WITH THE TERRAIN WHILE IN CLOSE TRAIL BEHIND THE 737.
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: 169 hours in all; 67 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 101 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 305 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1985; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TRM Thermal CA at 4:10 pm
- Destination: RNO Reno NV
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:49 pm from RNO, 2 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.