Cessna 150M accident near El Monte, California, June 21, 2000
On June 21, 2000 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704QJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Monte, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate maintenance inspection by other maintenance personnel of the exhaust system that resulted in an eroded muffler that allowed hot gases to impinge on magneto wiring and resulted in loss of engine power. A factor was the soft terrain at the forced landing site.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2000 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- El Monte, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704QJ · no longer on the register · serial 15078787
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise, the engine lost power then nosed over during a forced landing in an open, dirt field. No mechanical anomalies were experienced with the engine sound or gages prior to the loss of engine power. About 10 minutes into the flight the engine began to run roughly. The CFI performed the emergency checklist and picked one of two open fields to make a forced landing. During the approach to the second field, a construction vehicle drove into their flight path. The CFI shortened the approach and landed in the first field. On the landing roll the nose wheel dug into the dirt and the airplane nosed over. The external examination of the engine revealed that the left muffler end cap had separated in an outward direction from the muffler about 350 degrees in circumference in a 45-degree angle. This allowed heat to be directed at the firewall. The P-leads located within the electrical harness were melted, which allowed the conductors to short within the wires.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,216 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 1,142 as pilot in command; 909 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,044 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 8, 2000; 78 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: EMT at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:09 pm from EMT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N704QJ the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.