Cessna 150L accident near Hesperia, California, December 22, 1988
On December 22, 1988 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N1542Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hesperia, California (Hesperia airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- December 22, 1988 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hesperia, California · Hesperia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N1542Q · no longer on the register · serial 15072842
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT THE END OF A PLEASURE FLIGHT, WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH, THE AIRPLANE WAS LOW ON THE APPROACH. JUST PRIOR TO REACHING THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE TOP OF A VEHICLE TRAVELLING ON A ROAD PERPENDICULAR TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED, AND COLLIDED WITH THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY FENCE. THE PILOT REPORTED THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE AIRPLANE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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: 1,446 hours in all; 528 in this make and model; 1,446 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,843 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1987; 33 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: RIR Riverside CA at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,910 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from VCV, 14 miles away
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.