Cessna 150G accident near Vashon, Washington, July 4, 1987
On July 4, 1987, a Cessna 150G, registered N3736J, was destroyed in an accident near Vashon, Washington (Wax Orchards airport). 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 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
- July 4, 1987
- Place
- Vashon, Washington · Wax Orchards · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3736J · no longer on the register · serial 15065036
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT DEPARTED ON A ROUTINE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. RADAR TRACK INDICATED AIRCRAFT ENGAGING IN MANEUVERS TYPICAL OF INSTRUCTIONAL HIGH WORK (STALLS/TURN/SLOW FLIGHT) FOLLOWED BY LEFT ORBIT ABOUT GRASS AIRSTRIP USED ONLY FOR PRACTICE EMERGENCY LANDING PROCEDURES. WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING SOUND OF POWER CESSATION & OBSERVED AIRCRAFT MANEUVERING ABOUT AIRSTRIP. LAST RADAR TARGET SHOWED AIRCRAFT ABEAM FIELD AND NORTHBOUND STILL ENGAGED IN COUNTERCLOCKWISE TURN. ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED 390 FEET NORTH OF APPROACH END AND SLIGHTLY ACROSS EXTENDED CENTERLINE INDICATING AN OVERSHOOT. FLAPS WERE FOUND FULLY RETRACTED. CRASH DYNAMICS INDICATED A LOW ENERGY LEFT STALL/SPIN INTO GROUND. STUDENT HAD FLOWN ONLY ONCE IN PREVIOUS 117 DAYS (WITH ANOTHER INSTRUCTOR & IN A DIFFERENT LOCALE).
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 854 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 235 in the last 90 days; 94 in the last 30 days; 726 as pilot in command; 269 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,715 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 1987; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BFI Seattle WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,200 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.