Cessna 150F accident near Placerville, California, June 12, 1996
On June 12, 1996 at about 1:50 am local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N7880F, was destroyed in an accident near Placerville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol which led to his failure to maintain sufficient altitude to clear surrounding terrain. A factor was the pilot's intentional buzzing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1996 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Placerville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7880F · no longer on the register · serial 15063980
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that the aircraft was seen flying within 10 feet of water skiers on a nearby lake 1 hour before the accident. The aircraft subsequently flew into an area of rising terrain, passed low over a residence, and impacted a 60-foot tree about 40 feet above the ground. The propeller did not show evidence of engine power at impact. The right fuel tank contained 1 1/3 gallons of fuel; a postcrash fire occurred in the vicinity of the left fuel tank. Paramedics reported that the unlicensed pilot and his passenger were combative and smelled of alcohol. On admission to the hospital 1.7 hours after the accident, the pilot's blood alcohol level measured 0.237 percent. The airplane owner said that the pilot was his mechanic and was not authorized to fly the airplane.
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
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 8 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,250 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PVF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 am from MCC, 38 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.