Cessna 150L accident near Carpenteria, California, October 19, 1987
On October 19, 1987 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N11176, was destroyed in an accident near Carpenteria, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- October 19, 1987 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Carpenteria, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N11176 · registry record · serial 15075240
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED DETERIORATING WEATHER AS HE APPROACHED HIS DESTINATION. AFTER DESCENDING TO 1,500 FEET MSL, HE ATTEMPTED TO FOLLOW A HIGHWAY TO THE OCEAN BUT INADVERTENTLY ENCOUNTERED FOG. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TURN, AFTER SPOTTING LIGHTS FROM HOUSES SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET BENEATH HIS POSITION, BUT THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN THAT WAS COMPLETELY OBSCURED BY FOG.
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: 154 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 95 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,682 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1987; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAS Las Vegas NV at 11:25 pm
- Destination: SBA Santa Barbara CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from SBA, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N11176 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 LAX88LA018.