Cessna 150L accident near Guam, PO, October 12, 1987
On October 12, 1987 at about 8:43 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N11939, was destroyed in an accident near Guam, PO. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- October 12, 1987 · about 8:43 am local time
- Place
- Guam, PO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N11939 · no longer on the register · serial 15075761
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AT 1500 FEET MSL WHILE ON A FLIGHT IN THE MARIANAS ISLANDS FROM SAIPAN TO GUAM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DITCHED IN OCEAN WATERS ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF GUAM AND WAS NOT RECOVERED. THE OCCUPANTS WERE RESCUED BY A U.S. NAVY HELICOPTER ABOUT 50 MINUTES AFTER THE DITCHING.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,079 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 1987; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aviation Services
The flight
- Departed from: Saipan PO at 2:55 pm
- Destination: GUM Agana PO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 24,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:27 pm from PGUA
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.