Cessna 150J accident near Redwood City, California, February 7, 2000
On February 7, 2000 at about 2:03 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N63YZ, was destroyed in an accident near Redwood City, California (San Carlos airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate weather evaluation and continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Factors were the pilot's improper remedial action and his self-induced pressure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 2000 · about 2:03 pm local time
- Place
- Redwood City, California · San Carlos · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N63YZ · no longer on the register · serial 150-70105
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, about 1/4 mile from the destination airport, the pilot entered fog, altered course, then collided with the guide wire of a lighted commercial radio antenna. The pilot regularly commuted to the destination airport near his work. Weather forecasts obtained by the pilot indicated that low ceilings and visibilities were moving into the area around his destination. As the pilot was approaching the destination airport, he reported observing the airport, as well as cloud layers, over the bay that lay along his flight route. Radar data depicted the airplane's track to within about 1/4 mile of the runway, then an altered course about 180 degrees. Ground witnesses heard the airplane, saw it below a fog bank, and then heard sounds of the airplane's impact with the guide wire and the ground. Local paramedics who responded to the 911 call reported having to search for the wreckage on foot because of the thick fog.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,422 hours in all; 70 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,157 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 10, 1999; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAC Sacramento CA at 1:10 pm
- Destination: SQL San Carlos CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:03 pm from SFO, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket 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.