Cessna 150K accident near Joshua Tree, California, April 16, 1986
On April 16, 1986 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150K, registered N6398G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Joshua Tree, California (Yucca Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- April 16, 1986 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Joshua Tree, California · Yucca Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150K · all 150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N6398G · registry record · serial 15017898
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT LANDED AT THE YUCCA VALLEY ARPT TO REFUEL, BUT NO FUEL WAS AVAILABLE. THE ACFT FUEL GAGES REGISTERED 1/8 & 1/4 FULL, SO THE PLT TOOK OFF ON A PLANNED 7 MIN FLT TO ANOTHER ARPT. ABOUT 4 MIN AFTER DEPARTING, FUEL EXHAUSTION OCCURRED.DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A JOSHUA TREE & NOSED OVER. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE ACFT 'RAN OUT OF FUEL.' HIS LAST BFR WAS ACCOMPLISHED ABOUT 30 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. ABOUT 3 HRS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, SHERIFF PERSONNEL ADMINISTERED A FIELD SOBRIETY TEST TO THE PLT WHICH SHOWED THAT HIS ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 0.10.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,600 as pilot in command; 600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,004 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 27, 1984; 250 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: L22 Yucca Valley CA at 5:25 pm
- Destination: L80 Joshua Tree CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N6398G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 LAX86LA180.