Piper PA-24-250 accident near Fallon, Nevada, March 31, 1986
On March 31, 1986 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6282P, was destroyed in an accident near Fallon, Nevada (Fallon Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- March 31, 1986 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Fallon, Nevada · Fallon Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6282P · registry record · serial 24-1392
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON FINAL APCH TO THE ARPT, THE ACFT'S ENG CEASED OPERATING DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING A HARD FORCED LANDING ON A BASEBALL FLD.
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: 373 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 327 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,532 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 2, 1985; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2Q9 Dyer NV at 8:15 pm
- Destination: FLX Fallon NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from FLX, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.