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Accidents · NTSB LAX83LA059 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 150L accident near Big Bear Lake, California, December 12, 1982

On December 12, 1982 at about 4:30 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N1221Q, was destroyed in an accident near Big Bear Lake, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).

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
December 12, 1982 · about 4:30 am local time · cases in 1982
Place
Big Bear Lake, California · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
2 people had minor injuries.
Weather
instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
Aircraft
Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
Registration
N1221Q · registry record · serial 15072521
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE ACFT DESCENDED INTO TREES AFTER A NON-MECHANICAL ENGINE FAILURE ON A NIGHT TAKEOFF. THE WX WAS FOGGY WITH VISIBILITYLESS THAN 100 YARDS. THE ELEVATION WAS 6,750 FT MSL. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER THE PLT APPLED CARBURETOR HEAT. THE CONTROL WAS BROKEN OFF AT THE PANEL.

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: 225 hours in all; 184 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 168 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: unk

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 2,844 hours
  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 160 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: C Big Bear Lake CA at 8:30 pm
  • Destination: C Van Nuys CA
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: night, dark
  • Sky: not recorded
  • Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew2

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

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX83LA059.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.