Cessna A150L accident near Three Points, Arizona, June 18, 2025
On June 18, 2025 at about 4:22 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna A150L, registered N6436F, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Three Points, Arizona (Ryan Fld airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- June 18, 2025 · about 4:22 pm local time
- Place
- Three Points, Arizona · Ryan Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150L, built 1973 · all A150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N6436F · registry record · serial A1500444
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On June 18, 2025, about 0922 mountain standard time, a Cessna A150L airplane, N6436F, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Three Points, Arizona. The student pilot and flight instructor were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. A family member of the student pilot reported that the airplane departed from Ryan Field Airport (RYN), Tucson, Arizona, about 0900 mountain standard time on June 18, 2025. An alert notification (ALNOT) was issued the following day, June 19, 2025, at 1228, when the airplane was reported missing by a family member of the student pilot. The wreckage was located about 1626, about 11 miles south of RYN in a rural area with desert vegetation. Radar data obtained from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base revealed that the first radar return was at 0901 and that the duration of the flight was about 21 minutes. The flight path was consistent with low-altitude maneuvering, and the wreckage was located about 0.13 miles west of the last radar return. Figure 1 depicts the airplane’s flight path in magenta and the ground path in green. Figure 1. Flight and ground path The main wreckage came to rest upright on its nose and the aft fuselage was elevated. The forward cabin and engine sustained upward crushing consistent with impact damage. The fuselage was separated about midway between the rear window and the vertical stabilizer. The aft fuselage and empennage remained connected only by the flight control cables. Both wings exhibited aft and upward crushing consistent with impact damage. The left wing remained attached to the fuselage, and the right wing remained partially attached. The right wing aft spar attachment point was separated, consistent with impact damage. Both propeller blades exhibited chordwise scratching and leading edge polishing. One of the propeller blades was bent aft about 45° and exhibited twisting deformation. During recovery, liquid consistent with 100LL aviation fuel was drained from both wing fuel tanks. The right wing fuel tank contained about 4 gallons, and the left wing fuel tank contained about 5 gallons. The airplane was recovered from the accident site and transported to a secure facility for further examination. No mechanical anomalies were found with the airframe or engine during the onsite or follow-up wreckage examinations that would have precluded normal operations.
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
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: RYN Tucson AZ at 4:00 pm
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 am from KRYN, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRYN 181645Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 36/01 A2989
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.