Federal crash investigators say the pilot's use of drugs and overfueling the plane beyond the weight limit are likely causes of a fatal 2016 plane crash at Reno-Tahoe International Airport that left three dead. 

The report ends the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the Sept. 11, 2016, crash where a Piper PA-28 Cherokee aircraft slammed into the surface parking lot of the airport moments after takeoff, killing all three occupants. 

The crash killed Robert Drescher, 57, of Stevenson Ranch, Calif.; Edward Mumbert, 46, of Santa Cruz, Calif.; and 34-year-old Ronni Hernandez, whose residency was unknown. 

The NTSB report does not directly name those inside the plane, but says the aircraft was being flown by a private pilot carrying two passengers — one passenger, seated in the front seat, was a California-based bail bondsman and the other passenger, in the back seat, was a recently arrested woman with several warrants for her arrest in California. 

Spaghetti Bowl: NDOT preferred plan to retain southbound airport ramp

Mumbert, of Ed Mumbert Bail Bonds, was a self-employed bondsman based in San Jose, according to his company’s Facebook page.

Drescher was the only person certified as a private pilot, according to the Federal Aviation Administration website.

Through eye-witness accounts, aircraft data and surveillance footage, the report says the aircraft took off, climbed to 200 feet elevation and made it about two-thirds of the way down the runway before it appeared to lose control. 

It then veered right, rolled and hit the parking lot.

MORE: Safari Club convention pulling in Burning Man numbers for Reno airport


There is no indication that there were issues with the aircraft itself, and the passenger who had been arrested was found still strapped into her seat with her hands and legs shackled. 

The major issue investigators discovered was that the aircraft had been overfueled, causing it to be 178 pounds heavier than its maximum gross weight. 

A toxicology test of the pilot also showed he had recently used three separate opioid drugs in addition to a sedative, which could have contributed to poor decision-making that led him to overfill the fuel tanks, according to the report. 

The pilot had previously had a prescription for one opioid and a sedative, but the simultaneous use of multiple drugs indicated to investigators that it was likely he was abusing the drugs, the report said.  



Read or Share this story: