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Accidents · NTSB SEA87LA055 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 150E accident near Joseph, Oregon, February 8, 1987

On February 8, 1987 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150E, registered N3079J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Joseph, Oregon (Joseph State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
February 8, 1987 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 1987
Place
Joseph, Oregon · Joseph State · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 150E · all 150Es on the register
Registration
N3079J · registry record · serial 15061179
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

PLT WAS ON FIRST FLIGHT OF SEASON. AFTER TWO HOURS FLYING, LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED ON DRY HARD-SURFACE RUNWAY IN SLIGHT TAILWIND. DURING ROLL-OUT, LEFT DRIFT DEVELOPED. USE OF RIGHT BRAKE CAUSED TAIL OF ACFT TO LIFT. PLT APPLIED BOTH BRAKES AND ACFT NOSED OVER INVERTED.

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: 335 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 283 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 4,390 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1986
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 33, 3,800 ft by 50 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
  • Visibility: 30 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
  • Observation at 12:00 pm

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA87LA055.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.