Cessna 150M accident near Mesa, Washington, January 30, 1983
On January 30, 1983 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66762, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa, Washington (Dorman Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 1983 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Mesa, Washington · Dorman Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66762 · no longer on the register · serial 2071830
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A SHORT/SOFT FIELD LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. THE INSTRUCTOR WAS DEMONSTRATINGTHE LANDING AT A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. HE REPORTED THAT UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED ABOUT 50 FEET, THEN THE NOSE GEAR DUG IN AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER, COMING TO REST INVERTED. THE SURFACE OF THE PRIVATE STRIP WAS SOFT AND ROUGH WITH HOLES 4 TO 6 INCHES DEEP.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,183 hours in all; 525 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 2,012 as pilot in command; 1,120 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,358 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1982; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSC Pasco WA at 8:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,200 ft by 20 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from PSC, 12 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N66762: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,993 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200 329 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dorman Field · nearest airport
- Tri-Cities Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,709 since 1982 · 358 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,570 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA83LA048.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.