Cessna 150H accident near Minden, Nevada, August 28, 1996
On August 28, 1996 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N788JG, was destroyed in an accident near Minden, Nevada. 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 delayed remedial action when encountering downdrafts while approaching high terrain in high density altitude conditions. The pilot's inadequate supervision of the second pilot was a factor in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1996 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Minden, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N788JG · registry record · serial 15067748
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that his pilot rated passenger was flying the aircraft while cruising at 8,200 feet msl. The flight approached a 7,200-foot elevation mountain pass and encountered what the pilot described as a severe downdraft. Unable to climb, the aircraft descended to a low altitude when the passenger asked the pilot to take control of the aircraft. The pilot took control and turned along a ridgeline seeking an updraft; however, the downdraft continued. He elected to attempt to land in a nearby meadow. During the landing the aircraft struck a tree and a manzanita bush and came to rest inverted. The pilot extricated his unconscious passenger before the postcrash fire consumed the cabin area. The elevation of the accident site is 7,400 feet and the density altitude was approximately 11,000 feet. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 1996; 10 hours since
- 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: O43 Yerington NV at 6:00 pm
- Destination: MEV Minden NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from RNO, 30 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.