Cessna 150M accident near Santa Margarita, California, July 29, 1993
On July 29, 1993 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N45138, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Margarita, California (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 1993 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Margarita, California · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N45138 · no longer on the register · serial 15076750
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND CRASHED 200 FEET SOUTHEAST OF THE CENTER OF THE PRIVATELY OWNED AIRPORT. THE PILOT DOES NOT RECALL THE EVENTS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT. HIS LAST RECOLLECTION WAS THAT HE BEGAN A DESCENT TO GET A BETTER LOOK AT THE AIRSTRIP. THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THE PROPELLER DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH POWER BEING PRODUCED AT IMPACT AND THAT THE FLAPS WERE FULLY EXTENDED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,029 hours in all; 819 in this make and model; 217 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 989 as pilot in command; 569 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,029 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 25, 1992; 430 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: VNY Van Nuys CA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: SBP San Luis Obispo CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.