Cessna 180K accident near Emigrant Pass, Nevada, April 9, 1986
On April 9, 1986 at about 1:14 am local time, a Cessna 180K, registered N644FM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Emigrant Pass, Nevada. It was a business 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 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
- April 9, 1986 · about 1:14 am local time
- Place
- Emigrant Pass, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180K · all 180Ks on the register
- Registration
- N644FM · registry record · serial 18052859
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS INFORMED DURING A WX BRIEFING THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE PLT ELECTED TO TAKEOFF REGARDLESS AND ENCOUNTERED LOW CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES. WHILE LOOKING FOR AN AREA OF A HIGHWAY TO LAND THE ACFT, PWR LINES WERE CONTACTED WITH THE TOP OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. THE PLT THEN CONTINUED TO AN ARPT WHERE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,019 hours in all; 499 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 928 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 925 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 12, 1985; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EKO Elko NV
- Destination: SAC Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; scat at 900 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 am from EKO, 24 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.