Cessna 150M accident near Clovis, California, March 12, 1984
On March 12, 1984 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66436, was destroyed in an accident near Clovis, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- March 12, 1984 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Clovis, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66436 · no longer on the register · serial 15076048
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD CALLED HIS GIRLFRIEND TO SAY HE WAS GOING TO FLY OVER HER HOUSE AN THAT HE WANTED HER TO WAVE AT HIM AS HE FLEW PAST. IN FLYING LOW OVER HER HOUSE THE PLT WAVED AND YELLED LOUD ENOUGH TO BE HEARD ON THE GROUND. A FRIEND SAID THAT DURING A RECTANGULAR FLT PATH OPPOSITE THE GIRLS HOUSE THE NOSE PITCHED UP AND THE ACFT ENTERED A SPIN AND COMPLETED 3 TURNS BEFORE IMPACT WITH A UTILITY POLE AND THE GROUND. OTHER WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT HAD BEEN DOING AEROBATICS AND HAD STALLED BEFORE THE FATAL SPIN. TWO WITNESSES SAID THEY WERE TRYING TO GET THE ACFT NUMBER TO REPORT IT TOO FAA FOR LOW FLYING. IN A POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION NOTHING WAS FOUND WRONG WITH THE ACFT OTHER THAN IMPACT DAMAGETHE PROPELLER EVIDENCED TORSIONAL LOAD AT IMPACT. NO PRE-IMPACT ABNORMAL CONDITION WAS NOTED IN THE EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT OCCUPANTS BODIES.
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: 200 hours in all; 150 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,494 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1983; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Remile Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: 0Q4 Selma CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:48 pm from FAT, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.