Cessna 150 accident near Death Valley, California, April 3, 1982
On April 3, 1982 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N5682E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Death Valley, California. It was a personal 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1982 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Death Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N5682E · no longer on the register · serial 17182
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE ENGINE BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH AND DECREASING THRUST RESULTED IN A FORCED LANDING. WHILE LANDING ON A SOFT, DRY LAKE BED, THE PLANE CROSSED A SMALL WASH WHERE THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE REVEALED NO PRE-CRASH MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. THE ENGINE STARTED NORMALLY DURING A GROUND CHECK AFTER THE ACCIDENT. IT WAS OPERATED AT 2200 RPM SEVERAL TIMES AND IDLED SATISFACTORILY.
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: 59 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 31 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,187 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0L6 El Mirage CA at 9:15 am
- Destination: L69 Death Valley CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 31.00 inHg
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.