Cessna 150 accident near Long Beach, California, July 12, 1983
On July 12, 1983 at about 1:10 am local time, a Cessna 150, registered N6554S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Long Beach, California (Daugherty airport). It was an instructional flight 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 12, 1983 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Long Beach, California · Daugherty · 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
- N6554S · no longer on the register · serial 15067354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE TURNING DOWNWIND IN A CLOSED PATTERN THE ENG LOST POWER. THE ACFT CRASH LANDED IN A RISIDENTIAL STREET & STRUCK POWER LINES & POLES. A PORTION OF THE SPONGE MATERIAL ATTACHED TO THE CARBURETOR INLET SCREEN HAD BECOME DETACHED & LODGED IN THE THROAT OF THE CARBURETOR.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 10 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,822 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 26, 1983; 47 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: LGB
- Destination: LGB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25L, 5,420 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:00 am from LGB, 2 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.