Cessna A150K accident near Avalon, California, August 31, 1985
On August 31, 1985 at about 9:16 pm local time, a Cessna A150K, registered N8409M, was destroyed in an accident near Avalon, California. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- August 31, 1985 · about 9:16 pm local time
- Place
- Avalon, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150K · all A150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N8409M · no longer on the register · serial A15000109
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID THE OPERATION WAS ABOUT 4 AND 1/2 HOURS INTO A COMMERCIAL FISH SPOTTING FLT WHEN THE ENGINE 'BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, THEN QUIT ALTOGETHER.' ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE ENGINE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AND THE PLT COMPLETED A POWER-OFF DITCHING AT SEA. HE AND THE PSGR, WHO WAS ALSO AN EXPERIENCED PLT, SAID 'THE ENGINE STOPPED ABRUPTLY AFTER SOME INTERNAL NOISE. THE PROP DID NOT WINDMILL . . . THE STARTER WOULD NOT TURN THE PROPELLER.' AFTER DITCHING, THE ACFT SANK IN ABOUT 300 TO 400 FT OF WATER AND WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,464 hours in all; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,093 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 1985; 55 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: MYF San Diego CA at 5:01 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.