# Accident 20130414006229A: Cessna 182D, Smith Valley, NV, April 14, 2013

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 14, 2013, 21:00 local time
- Place: Smith Valley, NV
- Airport: Farias Wheel
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.7944° N, 119.4775° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7944&lon=-119.4775&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9078X, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9078X-2013-09-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182D (registry code 2072710, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182D
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 1,364 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR13FA201](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13FA201) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130414006229A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON APRIL 14, 2013, ABOUT 2050 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME (PDT), A CESSNA 182D, N9078X, IMPACTED

MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN NEAR WELLINGTON, NEVADA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED BY A PRIVATE PARTY, AND

OPERATED BY THE PILOT AS A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS

(CFR) PART 91. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES; THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED

BY IMPACT FORCES AND POST-CRASH FIRE. THE CROSS-COUNTRY PERSONAL FLIGHT DEPARTED NORTH LAS VEGAS,

NEVADA, ABOUT 1800, WITH A PLANNED DESTINATION OF MINDEN, NEVADA. VISUAL NIGHT METEOROLOGICAL

CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED.  THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY 18 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE FLIGHT'S

INTENDED DESTINATION. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON THE SOUTHEAST SLOPE APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET BELOW

THE TOP OF THE RIDGELINE, AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 8,570 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL). ALL MAJOR STRUCTURAL

COMPONENTS OF THE AIRPLANE WERE LOCATED WITHIN THE DEBRIS FIELD.

THE AIRPLANE WAS RECOVERED ON APRIL 24, 2013, FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR13FA201](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13FA201), Apr 15, 2013: Cessna 182D (N9078X), Wellington, NV, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain during a night, visual descent to the destination airport, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

## Other reports on N9078X (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19870803045059I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19870803045059I), Aug 3, 1987: Cessna 182D (N9078X), Reno, NV. Fuel exhausted in pattern after a short flight. Small fuel leak in left tank. Pilot estimated fuel on preflight.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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