Cessna 150M accident near Happy Camp, California, March 30, 1984
On March 30, 1984 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N9254U, was destroyed in an accident near Happy Camp, California (Happy Camp airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1984 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Happy Camp, California · Happy Camp
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9254U · no longer on the register · serial 15078204
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE WAITING FOR FOG TO 'BURN OFF,' THE PLT PREFLIGHTED THE ACFT & THEN WAITED FOR ABOUT 45 MIN AT THE END OF THE RWY. HE THEN DECIDED TO TAKEOFF WHILE THE WX WAS STILL IMC. SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE ACFT ENTERED INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS & BEGAN TURNING TO THE LEFT. THE PLT STATED, 'ABOUT THE TIME I WAS STARTING TO GET THINGS SORTED OUT, THE TREES APPEARED OUT OF THE FOG.' HE PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE, BUT THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASHED. THE PLT STATED THAT HIS DECISION TO TAKEOFF IN IMC WAS INFLUENCED BY HIS WIFE'S FAILING ABILITY TO COPE WITH THEIR SEPARATION DURING HIS NEW JOB & HIS BOSS'S EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS THAT HE DIDN'T WANT ANYONE LATE OR OFF ON THAT DAY. ALSO, THE PLT FELT A NEED TO PROVE TO EVERYONE THAT AN ACFT COULD BE DEPENDABLE TRANSPORTATION.
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: 279 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 247 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,365 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 105 Montague CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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.