Cessna 150F accident near Lee Vining, California, March 18, 1985
On March 18, 1985 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8567G, was destroyed in an accident near Lee Vining, California (Lee Vining airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 18, 1985 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Lee Vining, California · Lee Vining · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8567G · registry record · serial 15062667
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED BELOW THE CREST OF AN 8100 FT (MSL) MTN ON A FLT FROM MAMMOTH-JUNE LAKES ARPT (MMH), MAMMOTH, CA, TO RENO, NV, WHILE EXECUTING A LEFT TURN COURSE REVERSAL. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE ACFT FLYING AT ABOUT 100 AGL ALONG HWY 395. THE WITNESSES ALSO RPTD LOW CEILING & VIS PREVAILED. THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING PRIOR TO DEPARTING MMH & WAS INFORMED THAT THE MTN TOPS WERE OBSCURED BY LOW CLOUDS & SNOW SHOWERALONG THE PROPOSED ROUTE OF FLT. THE PLT STATED HE WOULD WAIT AWHILE & DEPART. HE WOULD RETURN TO MMH IF HE COULD NOT NEGOTIATE THE HIGH MTNS. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT WRECKAGE DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PREEXISTING MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT/POST-IMPACT FIRE.THE PROP ASS'Y DISCLOSED EVIDENCE OF POWER BEING DEVELOPED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 1985; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MMH Mammoth CA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: RNO Reno NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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.