Cessna 150 accident near Carlsbad, California, August 12, 2000
On August 12, 2000 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N6500T, was destroyed in an accident near Carlsbad, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A catastrophic internal engine failure for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2000 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Carlsbad, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N6500T · no longer on the register · serial 17900
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft ditched in the Pacific ocean about 20 miles west of Carlsbad, California, following a loss of engine power while on fish spotting operations. The airplane sank and is presumed to be destroyed. The pilot said that about 40 miles offshore the engine rpm's began a slow decay accompanied by a loss of oil pressure and an increase in oil temperature. The pilot reversed course and headed toward Carlsbad, the closest airport. About 20 miles out from shore the engine lost all power with a loud bang and the pilot ditched the airplane at 33 degrees 10 minutes north latitude by 117 degrees 45 minutes west longitude. A passing fishing boat picked up the pilot. The pilot was unable to reconstruct the maintenance history of the aircraft.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,094 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 204 in the last 90 days; 172 in the last 30 days; 17,512 as pilot in command; 11,023 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEE San Diego CA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 167°F (75°C), dew point 153°F (67°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from CRQ, 28 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.