Cessna 150B accident near Bermuda Dunes, California, April 21, 1986
On April 21, 1986 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150B, registered N1118Y, was destroyed in an accident near Bermuda Dunes, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- April 21, 1986 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bermuda Dunes, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150B · all 150Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1118Y · no longer on the register · serial 15059518
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT FLIGHT WAS TO DOCUMENT THROUGH THE USE OF VIDEOTAPE THE DEPLOYMENT & TRAJECTORY OF A SPECIALITY PARACHUTE WHICH WAS CONNECTED TO A BALLAST BAG. THE PLT, WHO WAS THE DESIGNER OF THE DEVICE, UTILIZED HIS EXPERIMENTAL CATEGORY ACFT FOR THE LAUNCH. AT THE PREARRANGED ALTITUDE OF 3000 FT AGL, THE DEVICE EXITED OUT OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ACFT. THE ACFT'S DOOR HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY REMOVED, & WHEN THE DEVICE LEFT THE ACFT THE BALLAST BAG'S ATTACHMENT CORD BECAME ENTANGLED WITH THE LEFT LANDING GEAR WHEEL RIM ASSEMBLY. THE PARACHUTE, WHICH REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE BAG, STREAMERED BEHIND THE ACFT. THE ACFT STALLED, PITCHED DOWNWARD & DESCENDED INTO TERRAIN WHILE IN A VERTICAL ATTITUDE. THE PLT BAILED OUT OF THE ACFT AT ABOUT 400 FT AGL. HIS PERSONAL PARACHUTE DID NOT DEPLOY. THE PLT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A 0.10 LEVEL OF ETHYL ALCOHOL IN HIS BLOOD.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 580 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 294 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 24, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bermuda Dunes CA at 2:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.