Cessna 150 accident near Santa Barbara, California, April 18, 1982
On April 18, 1982 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N66631, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Barbara, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 18, 1982 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Barbara, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N66631 · no longer on the register · serial 15076168
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A WOODED CANYON AREA BENEATH THE COLD SPRING CANYON ARCH BRIDGE IN LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST. THE PLANE IMPACTED ABOUT 250 YARDS NORTH OF THE BRIDGE WHILE ON A NORTHERLY HEADING. BROKEN TREE TOPS AND BRANCHES WERE FOUND OVER AN AREA OF ABOUT 350 YARDS BEFORE IT CAME TO REST. ALSO, THERE WERE TRANSMISSION LINES LOCATED BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE BRIDGE AND IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH SITE. THE ENGINE HAD SEPARATED FROM THE PLANE DURING IMPACT. IT WAS TAKEN FROM THE CRASH SITE BY UNKNOWN PERSONS AND WAS NEVER RECOVERED; THEREFORE, A DISASSEMBLY INSPECTION COULD NOT BE PERFORMED. NO KNOWN WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,346 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 1,179 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,530 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Santa Barbara Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: Santa Barbara CA at 7:00 am
- Destination: Santa Barbara CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 158°F (70°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.