Cessna 150J N60760

Summary

On 18 April 2008 at about 19:50 local time, a Cessna 150J registered N60760, operated by Seaplane Ventures, Inc., was involved in an accident near Sonora, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 April 2008 at 19:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Sonora, California, United States

Coordinates

38.0564, -119.9008

Aircraft

Cessna 150J

Registration

N60760

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Seaplane Ventures, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Andreas → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08FA115

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and loss of aircraft control. Contributing to the accident were rising mountainous terrain and a high density altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A flight instructor and a commercial pilot receiving instruction departed from a pond (at an elevation of approximately 1,100 feet) in the float-equipped airplane. A camera recovered from the wreckage disclosed images indicating that the flight went to a mountain lake where a touch-and-go landing was made. The images indicated that the airplane accomplished this landing with an estimated 10-knot, gusting to 20-knot, headwind. After liftoff from the water, the airplane reversed course toward rising mountainous terrain. The wreckage was located at 5,200-feet, and the terrain in the immediate area of the accident site was level. The airplane came to rest on its nose, with the wreckage evididence indicating a stall/loss of control and vertical descent to the ground. The empennage remained nearly vertical to the terrain and bent down slightly. Both floats were also vertical to the terrain. Postaccident inspection of the airplane found no evidence of any preimpact mechanical discrepancies with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation. The density altitude at the time was estimated as 6,907 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.