Cessna 150L accident near Naranjito, Puerto Rico, January 16, 1987
On January 16, 1987 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N10103, was destroyed in an accident near Naranjito, Puerto Rico. It was a personal 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1987 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Naranjito, Puerto Rico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N10103 · no longer on the register · serial 15074796
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE REPORTED TO BE ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT DURING THEIR LUNCH HOUR. THEY DEPARTED FROM ISLA GRANDE AIRPORT AND PROCEEDED TO A DIRT AIRSTRIP AT NARANJITO, PR. AT NARANJITO, WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE GO INTO A LOW PASS OVER THE DIRT STRIP, THEN ENTER A SPIRALING CLIMB TO THE LEFT. AT ABOUT 400 TO 500 FEET AGL, THE ENGINE NOISE STOPPED, AND THEN THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A SPIN AND CRASHED ON THE SOUTHEAST END OF THE STRIP. AFTER IMPACT, A FIRE ERUPTED, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED. DURING A POST-CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE, WATER WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR BOWL AND FILTER.
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: 178 hours in all; 173 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,043 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- 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: JIG San Juan PR at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from SJU, 41 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.
Other NTSB records under N10103 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.