Cessna 150L accident near Corona, California, April 2, 1985
On April 2, 1985 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N1588Q, was destroyed in an accident near Corona, California. It was an instructional 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
- April 2, 1985 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Corona, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N1588Q · no longer on the register · serial 15072888
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT & INSTRUCTOR PLT (CFI) WERE ON A LOCAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLT. THE STUDENT HAD FLOWN A TOTAL OF ONLY 3 HRS PRIOR TO THIS FLT. JUST BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED SPINNING TOWARD THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT. IT IMPACTED IN AN ORANGE GROVE, BUT ONLY ONE TREE WAS DAMAGED. DURING AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE, NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF AMPLE FUEL ABOARD.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,014 hours in all; 892 as pilot in command; 43 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,545 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1984; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CNO Chino CA at 6:16 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:46 pm from CNO, 10 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.