Cessna 150M accident near Quartzsite, Arizona, December 26, 1995
On December 26, 1995 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66172, was substantially damaged in an accident near Quartzsite, Arizona (Ora Acres airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1995 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Quartzsite, Arizona · Ora Acres · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66172 · no longer on the register · serial 15075893
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on his solo long cross-country flight and became concerned when the aircraft's fuel quantity reached the 1/4 level. He observed a private airport and elected to make a precautionary landing. The aircraft landed to the south on the 2,000-foot-long dirt airstrip and touched down about 500 feet beyond the threshold. It then veered off the 75-foot-wide runway to the left, struck a 3-foot-high dirt pile and a small tree, and nosed over. The aircraft came to rest inverted on the east side of the runway, about 800 feet from the threshold. The surface wind at the nearest weather reporting point, 28 miles southwest, was from 010 degrees at 9 knots, however, the pilot reported the surface wind calm at the accident location.
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: student
- Flight time: 49 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,851 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 17, 1995; 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: RYN Tucson AZ at 6:30 pm
- Destination: BLH Blythe CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 16, 2,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 16,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from BLH, 28 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.
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.