Cessna 150H accident near Angels Camp, California, June 12, 1996
On June 12, 1996 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N22474, was substantially damaged in an accident near Angels Camp, California. It was a personal 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 attempt by the pilot to operate the aircraft with a float known to be leaking. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the operation of float equipped aircraft.
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 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Angels Camp, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N22474 · no longer on the register · serial 15068305
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The right-hand float of the rented float plane dug into the water and the aircraft nosed over on the 45th landing since the float was last pumped out. The float had required 330 strokes of the bilge pump to empty it. Postaccident inspection of the right float revealed two holes in the float that apparently were made the previous day. The pilot, who had received his float plane rating 10 days prior, reported that this was the only float plane he had ever flown, and that it was routine during his training to pump this float 80 strokes during preflight. When the float required 330 strokes on the morning of the accident, he thought this unusual, but decided to continue flying it after considering the normal number of pumps required, the number of landings the previous day, and the fact that the aircraft had been parked on the water overnight.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 110 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 54 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,813 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 10, 1996; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,760 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from SCK, 32 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 N22474 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.