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Accidents · NTSB LAX88LA036 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 150F accident near Carmel Valley, California, November 9, 1987

On November 9, 1987 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N6920F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carmel Valley, California (Carmel Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 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
November 9, 1987 · about 9:30 pm local time
Place
Carmel Valley, California · Carmel Valley · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
Registration
N6920F · no longer on the register · serial 15063520
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE PLT & PASSENGER WERE ON A FLT TO AN ARPT WITH A 2475' RWY & A DISPLACED THRESHOLD OF 665'. THE PLT RPRTD THAT WHEN HE ENTERED THE APCH TO LND ON RWY 11, THE ACFT WAS HIGHER THAN NECESSARY. HE CONTD THE APCH, BUT WHEN THE ACFT HAD NOT TOUCHED DOWN, AFTER TRAVELING ABOUT 2/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY, HE ELECTED TO GO AROUND. HE STATED THAT HE 'PUSHED IN' THE THROTTLE & CARB HEAT, & 'RETRACTED SOME FLAPS.' HOWEVER, THE ACFT DID NOT GAIN SUFFICIENT ALT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT STRUCK A 50' TREE BEYOND THE END OF THE RWY & SLIGHTLY LEFT OF THE RWY CENTERLINE. ALSO, THE PLT RPRTD THERE WAS A STEEP INCLINE BEYOND THE DEP END OF THE RWY WHICH WAS SURROUNDED BY TREES. THE ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY WARNED OF TREES & STATED 'NO TOUCH & GO LNDGS.'

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: 208 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 178 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 5,953 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1987; 74 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: HWD Hayward CA at 7:50 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 11, 2,475 ft by 35 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 20 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
  • Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1
Passengers1

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.