Amateur-built SKYBOLT and Cessna 150 mid-air collision near Paso Robles, California, May 4, 1985
On May 4, 1985 at about 11:21 pm local time, 2 aircraft, amateur-built SKYBOLT (N10DE) and Cessna 150 (N3010V), were involved in a mid-air collision near Paso Robles, California (Paso Rubles Muni airport). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1985 · about 11:21 pm local time
- Place
- Paso Robles, California · Paso Rubles Muni · map
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Amateur-built SKYBOLT
- Registration
- N10DE · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N3010V · registry record · serial 76349
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the amateur-built SKYBOLT final · quoted from the NTSB record
A CESSNA 150 AND A HOME BUILT SKYBOLT ACFT COLLIDED WHILE ON A DOWNWIND LEG OF A TRAFFIC PATTERN TO LAND. THE SKYBOLT WAS A COMPETITOR IN A LOCAL AEROBATIC COMPETITION EAST OF THE ARPT. THE C-150 WAS RETURNING FROM A STUDENT PLT TRAINING X-COUNTRY FLT. BOTH ACFT HAD RADIOS AND HAD ANNOUNCED THEIR POSITIONS IN TRAFFIC. BOTH WERE FLYING STRAIGHT & LEVEL AT APRX 1800 FT AGL WITH THE SKYBOLT SLIGHTLY HIGHER. THE ACFT CONVERGED SLOWLY AT ABOUT THE SAME AIRSPEED. AN OFFICIAL OF THE COMPETITION WARNED THE ACFT OF THEIR PROXIMITY. THE CESSNA PLT BOTH SAW & FELT HIS PROP CONTACT THE TAIL SECTION OF THE OTHER ACFT AS IT CAME FROM BEHIND AND ABOVE HIM. THE SKYBOLT PLT FELT THE IMPACT AND THEN SAW THE CESSNA BELOW HIM. BOTH ACFT WERE ABLE TO LAND BUT THE SKYBOLT GROUNDLOOPED AFTER LANDING DUE TO DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR. THE COMPETITION CONTESTANTS AND NORMAL TRAFFIC WERE INTERMIXED IN TRAFFIC WITH NO ATTEMPT AT SEGREGATION BY DESIGNATION OF DEDICATED AREAS FOR EACH.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Cessna 150 final · quoted from the NTSB record
A CESSNA 150 AND A HOME BUILT SKYBOLT ACFT COLLIDED WHILE ON A DOWNWIND LEG OF A TRAFFIC PATTERN TO LAND. THE SKYBOLT WAS A COMPETITOR IN A LOCAL AEROBATIC COMPETITION EAST OF THE ARPT. THE C-150 WAS RETURNING FROM A STUDENT PLT TRAINING X-COUNTRY FLT. BOTH ACFT HAD RADIOS AND HAD ANNOUNCED THEIR POSITIONS IN TRAFFIC. BOTH WERE FLYING STRAIGHT & LEVEL AT APRX 1800 FT AGL WITH THE SKYBOLT SLIGHTLY HIGHER. THE ACFT CONVERGED SLOWLY AT ABOUT THE SAME AIRSPEED. AN OFFICIAL OF THE COMPETITION WARNED THE ACFT OF THEIR PROXIMITY. THE CESSNA PLT BOTH SAW & FELT HIS PROP CONTACT THE TAIL SECTION OF THE OTHER ACFT AS IT CAME FROM BEHIND AND ABOVE HIM. THE SKYBOLT PLT FELT THE IMPACT AND THEN SAW THE CESSNA BELOW HIM. BOTH ACFT WERE ABLE TO LAND BUT THE SKYBOLT GROUNDLOOPED AFTER LANDING DUE TO DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR. THE COMPETITION CONTESTANTS AND NORMAL TRAFFIC WERE INTERMIXED IN TRAFFIC WITH NO ATTEMPT AT SEGREGATION BY DESIGNATION OF DEDICATED AREAS FOR EACH.
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 for the amateur-built SKYBOLT from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,170 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,996 as pilot in command; 1,480 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 275 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,180 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 6,009 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 pm from PRB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
The factual record for the Cessna 150 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 47 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 15 as pilot in command; 32 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,895 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 27, 1985; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,775 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Patroline INC.
The flight
- Departed from: L5Z Oceano at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 6,009 ft by 150 ft
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX85FA239.