Cessna 150 accident near Chico, California, July 23, 1983
On July 23, 1983, a Cessna 150, registered N45398, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chico, California (Ranchaero 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 23, 1983
- Place
- Chico, California · Ranchaero · 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
- N45398 · registry record · serial 15076905
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT RAN OFF THE RWY DURING THE LANDING ROLL AND NOSED OVER. ON THE FIRST SOLO LANDING THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO BALLOON DURING THE FLARE. WHEN THE STUDENT ADDED POWER THE ACFT YAWED TO THE LEFT TOUCHED DOWN AND RAN OFF THE RWY INTO A PLOWED FIELD. THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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: 21 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,274 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 7, 1983; 24 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 33, 2,280 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.