Cessna 150M accident near Brea, California, October 16, 1995
On October 16, 1995 at about 3:34 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704QJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brea, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's improper leaning procedures and his failure to use the performance charts in the pilot operating handbook to determine fuel consumption rates for the selected cruise power setting.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 1995 · about 3:34 am local time
- Place
- Brea, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704QJ · no longer on the register · serial 15078787
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly before the accident, the pilot contacted Fullerton ATCT and requested assistance in finding the airport. Transcripts of air-to-ground communications and verbal statements from the controllers indicated that the pilot seemed disoriented. The pilot reported losing engine power at a point about 8 miles east of the airport. The airplane collided with power lines during a forced landing. The aircraft recovery firm who picked up the aircraft reported that the fuel system was intact. Two gallons of fuel was drained from the right tank, and about 4 ounces from the left. The pilot said that a higher than anticipated fuel consumption was due to insufficient mixture leaning and the use of a higher rpm setting than planned in order to maintain a desired airspeed.
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: 97 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,471 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 30, 1995; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Long Beach Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: GVT Las Vegas NV
- Destination: LGB Long Beach CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 am from FUL, 8 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N704QJ the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.