Cessna 150 N1238Q

Summary

On 28 September 2005 at about 15:42 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N1238Q was involved in an accident near Taft, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 September 2005 at 15:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Taft, California, United States

Coordinates

35.1272, -119.5561

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N1238Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Taft → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05LA321

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance while maneuvering. The mountainous terrain was a factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted a mountainous, bowl-shaped canyon after about 35 minutes of maneuvering flight. The airplane departed for a routine pipeline patrol and radar data indicated the airplane maneuvered initially to the southwest and then to the northwest of the departure airport. The last 5 radar returns depict the airplane headed south at an altitude of 2,700 feet msl. The last radar return was recorded approximately 0.6 nautical miles northwest of the accident site. The area flown by the airplane was not usually associated with the pilot's patrol missions, and according to the operator, the accident site was not located within the patrol area. Distribution of the wreckage at the accident site indicated the airplane impacted rising terrain on a southwest heading and nosed over coming to rest inverted. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical discrepancies that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane. The operator reported that the pilot had been conducting patrol missions for 9 years and had accumulated about 9,900 hours of flight time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.