Cessna 150E accident near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, October 30, 1987
On October 30, 1987 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 150E, registered N4081U, was destroyed in an accident near Aguadilla, 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
- October 30, 1987 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150E · all 150Es on the register
- Registration
- N4081U · no longer on the register · serial 15061481
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT MANEUVERING A LOW ALT OVER OCEAN WATER NEAR A SHORELINE. THEY SAW IT PULL UP SHARPLY TO CLEAR A COMMERCIAL BOAT DOCK, THEN NOSE OVER & IMPACT THE WATER IN A NOSE LOW, RGT WING LOW ATTITUDE. THE ACFT SANK & CAME TO REST IN 30' OF WATER. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS SHOWED THE PLT HAD A BLOOD/ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.13% & A URINE/ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.20%. THE ACFT OWNER FILED AN ACFT THEFT RPRT AFTER THE ACDNT.
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: 700 hours in all; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,833 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1987; 137 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: BQN Aguadilla PR at 9:07 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from BQN, 5 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.