Cessna 150J accident near Corona, California, December 15, 2003
On December 15, 2003 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N61303, was destroyed in an accident near Corona, California (Corona Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's intentional VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain aircraft control as a result of spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2003 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Corona, California · Corona Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N61303 · no longer on the register · serial 15070950
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot and his passenger took off in the single engine airplane in early morning fog and low overcast, and crashed 528 yards from the departure end of the runway. The airplane was located 14 days later in the wooded marshland off of the departure end of the runway. Local weather observations reported that the visibility at the time of departure was less than one-half mile in fog, and the vertical visibility (ceiling) was 100 feet. The pilot obtained a standard weather briefing prior to departure, which included the low visibilities and ceilings. The pilot did not document any instrument flying experience. The post accident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical abnormalities.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aero Engines O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KAJO Corona CA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: KTOA Torrance CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 100 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KCNO, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.