Cessna 150M accident near Lucerne Valley, California, May 12, 1999
On May 12, 1999 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66487, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lucerne Valley, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane and improper fuel consumption calculations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 1999 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Lucerne Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66487 · no longer on the register · serial 15076079
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot rented the airplane for a personal cross-country flight. At his first stop he did not refuel. He overflew his intended second and refueling stop by 23 miles. Subsequently, he ran out of fuel and attempted a landing on a dirt road. The airplane collided with brush and rolled inverted. The airplane had operated 4.4 hours since last refueling. The pilot had received a 1.1-hour checkout by the operator the day before the accident in the same 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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 156 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 77 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,924 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 23, 1999; 45 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: L45 Bakersfield CA at 8:00 pm
- Destination: L39 Ramona CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from DAG, 37 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.