Cessna 150M accident near Bakersfield, California, May 15, 1983
On May 15, 1983 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N63404, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bakersfield, California (Costerisan Farms airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- May 15, 1983 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Bakersfield, California · Costerisan Farms · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63404 · no longer on the register · serial 77288
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A POWERLINE WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH AND NOSED OVER IN A OPEN FIELD ONE HALF MILE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT HAD FLOWN INTO THIS ARPT THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT AS A PAX. SHE DECIDED TO DO SOME TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS, LOCAL PILOTS WARNED HER ABOUT THE POWERLINE BEFORE HER DEPARTURE. DURING HER 1ST PATTERN SHE TURNED BASE INSIDE OF A POWERLINE 3/4 MILE FROM THE RUNWAY AND THOUGHT THIS WAS THE ONLY LINE. SHE BECAME OVERLY CONCERNED WITH CORRECTING AN OVERSHOOT OF THE WIND LINE ON FINAL AND DID NOT SEE THE SECOND SET OF WIRES 1/2 MILE FROM THE RUNWAY. THESE WIRES ARE ABOUT 65 FT HIGH. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT THE WIRE CONTACTED THE NOSE GEAR STRUT AND THE ACFT NOSED DOWN INTO A PLOWED FIELD.
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: 90 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 51 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,356 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 3, 1983; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,200 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from BFL, 11 miles away
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.
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.