Cessna 150M accident near Dos Palos, California, March 20, 1983
On March 20, 1983 at about 8:02 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N2832V, was destroyed in an accident near Dos Palos, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1983 · about 8:02 am local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Dos Palos, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N2832V · registry record · serial 76325
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-RATED PLT & A FRIEND (ALSO NON-RATED) TOOK THE ACFT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE OWNER. THEY TOOK OFF AT NIGHT & MADE REPEATED PASSES OVER THE CITY OF DOS PALOS, CA. AFTER ABOUT 15 TO 20 MIN, THE ACFT WAS FLOWN TO THE VICINITY OF A HOME BELONGING TO THE PASSENGER'S FATHER. THE PASSENGER'S FATHER HEARD THE ACFT & WAS WATCHING WHEN THE PLANE COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE. THEREAFTER, IT HIT SEVERAL TREES & A RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICAL SERVICE POWER LINE. THE PLT'S BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 0.18%.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 4 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,695 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 14, 1982; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LSN Los Banos CA at 7:10 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2832V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,992 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Los Banos Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,134 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX83FA150.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.