Cessna 150M accident near Sonoma, California, May 6, 2007
On May 6, 2007 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N45316, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sonoma, California (Sonoma Skypark Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions and failure to maintain directional control while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2007 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sonoma, California · Sonoma Skypark Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N45316 · no longer on the register · serial 15076838
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing on runway 26 with a right crosswind from 360 degrees at 19 knots and gusting to 28 knots, the airplane veered off the runway to the left. The airplane subsequently crossed an adjacent field, and collided with a ditch. The pilot said there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
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: 718 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 587 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,019 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 2007; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APC Napa CA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 0Q9 Sonoma CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,480 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 19 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from APC, 8 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.