Cessna 150 accident near Sacramento, California, July 21, 1982
On July 21, 1982 at about 7:19 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N22912, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sacramento, California (Sacramento Exec. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- July 21, 1982 · about 7:19 pm local time
- Place
- Sacramento, California · Sacramento Exec. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N22912 · no longer on the register · serial 15068611
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO "SHAKEDOWN" THE AIRCRAFT AND TO BREAK IN A NEWLY OVERHAULED ENGINE. A THOROUGH PREFLIGHT WAS MADE AND SOME WATER WAS DRAINED FROM THE FUEL TANKS. (THE AIRCRAFT HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME.) WHILE CLIMBING AFTER TAKEOFF, THE CYLINDER HEAD TEMPERATURE (CHT) WAS NOTED AT 550 DEG FAHRENHEIT AND CLIMBING SLOWLY. THE PILOT LEVELED AT 700 FT AND THROTTLED BACK, AND THE CHT STABILIZED AT ABOUT 555 DEG. ABOUT 1 MINUTE LATER, THE ENGINE BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THERE WAS A CONSIDERABLE POWER LOSS. THE PILOT SELECTED A FIELD FOR A FORCED LANDING. BUT ON FINAL APPROACH, HE NOTICED THAT IT WAS FRESHLY PLOWED AND ROUGH. AN S-TURN WAS MADE TO LAND ON A GRAVEL ROAD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS STILL IN A BANK DURING TOUCHDOWN. WHILE ON THE LANDING ROLL, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT ON THE ROAD WITH A 6-8 KT CROSSWIND FROM THE RIGHT. THE PLANE COLLIDED WITH A FENCE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NO 1 EXHAUST VALVE ROCKER ARM, PN 639615, HAD FAILED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,478 hours in all; 945 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 8,775 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,307 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,560 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flying Panthers, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Sacramento CA at 12:15 pm
- Destination: Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 5,503 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 178°F (81°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.