Cessna 150L accident near Elk Grove, California, November 9, 1986
On November 9, 1986 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N5360Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elk Grove, California (Sunset Skyranch 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).
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
- November 9, 1986 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Elk Grove, California · Sunset Skyranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N5360Q · no longer on the register · serial 15073260
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLT WAS RETURNING FROM A LOCAL FLIGHT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS, THEN RESTARTED. THE PLT CHECKED THE FUEL GAUGES WHICH INDICATED ONE TANK WAS EMPTY AND THE OTHER WAS 1/4 FULL. AT ABOUT 1-1/2 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AGAIN AND WOULD NOT RESTART. DURING A FORCED LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A DITCH ABOUT 300 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. AN EXAM OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT DID NOT ALLOW FOR UNUSABLE FUEL DURING HIS FUEL CALCULATIONS.
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
- Flight time: 114 hours in all; 114 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 78 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1986; 70 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: Q40
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,800 ft by 32 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.