Cessna 150 accident near Oxnard, California, December 13, 1985
On December 13, 1985 at about 4:47 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N7310X, was destroyed in an accident near Oxnard, California (Oxnard airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- December 13, 1985 · about 4:47 pm local time
- Place
- Oxnard, California · Oxnard · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N7310X · no longer on the register · serial 15059410
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT TOOK OFF, PITCHED UP STEEPLY, STALLED, NOSED OVER TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED, NOSE DOWN INTO THE GRASS SOUTH OF THE RWY. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT DISCLOSED THAT THE 2 INCH BOLT THE PLT USED AS A CONTROL GUST LOCK FOR THE ELEVATOR AND AILERONS HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED BEFORE THE TAKEOFF WAS ATTEMPTED.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,368 hours in all; 4,493 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,019 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1985; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: VNY Van Nuys CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 5,950 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:47 pm from OXR
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.