Cessna 150L accident near Yucaipa, California, December 24, 1998
On December 24, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N11829, was destroyed in an accident near Yucaipa, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Yucaipa, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N11829 · no longer on the register · serial 15075656
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated flight instructor and the student pilot departed on a local training flight. The airplane departed around 1300, and when it did not return by 1500, the operator reported it missing. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was detected about 1900, and the wreckage was discovered about 2040. A strong smell of fuel was detected on scene. All of the airplane was accounted for at the accident site. The flaps were set at 40 degrees of extension and control continuity was established for all flight controls. An inspection of the engine and associated parts did not reveal any discrepancies which would have precluded normal operation. Ground scars and wreckage signatures showed a near vertical impact with rotation to the right. This was the student pilot's first flight in over 3 1/2 years; his total time was 12.5 hours.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 981 hours in all; 93 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 883 as pilot in command; 189 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,537 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 27, 1998; 65 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: L12 Redlands CA at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from RIV, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.