# Accident 19980330008379A: Cessna 150A, Apple Valley, CA, March 30, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 30, 1998, 10:15 local time
- Place: Apple Valley, CA
- Airport: Private
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.4196° N, 117.1402° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.4196&lon=-117.1402&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6640T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6640T-2000-05-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 150A (registry code 2071804, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 150A
- Reported engine: CONT O200A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,000 total, 200 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA130) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980330008379A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON MARCH 30, 1998, AT 1015 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 150A, N6640T, NOSED OVER DURING LANDING AT A PRIVATE DIRT STRIP NEAR APPLE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL AREA PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE IN THE ACCIDENT. THE PRIVATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, INCURRED MINOR INJURIES. IN THE PILOT'S WRITTEN STATEMENT, HE REPORTED THAT HE HAD TAKEN THE AIRCRAFT FLYING TO TEST THE RADIO. WHEN THE RADIO DID NOT WORK, HE RETURNED TO LAND. THE PILOT RECALLED LANDING ON THE DIRT STRIP, THEN WAKING UP SUSPENDED FROM HIS SEAT BELT IN THE INVERTED COCKPIT. A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) INSPECTOR FROM THE RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE, TRAVELED TO THE STRIP AND INTERVIEWED THE PILOT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE LANDING STRIP BEHIND HIS HOUSE IS ACTUALLY A FIRE BREAK ROAD THAT IS OWNED BY A NEIGHBOR WHO ALLOWS HIM TO LAND HIS AIRCRAFT THERE. THE PILOT FURTHER SAID THAT AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE NOSE GEAR SANK IN THE SOFT SOIL, THE NOSE GEAR STRUT COLLAPSED, AND THE AIRCRAFT WENT INVERTED. HE STATED TO THE INSPECTOR THAT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE AIRCRAFT. THE FAA INSPECTOR REPORTED THAT THE PORTION OF THE ROAD USED AS THE LANDING AREA WAS 1,700 FEET IN LENGTH AND LESS THAN 10 FEET WIDE. POWER LINES 60 FEET HIGH ARE LOCATED AT THE APPROACH END OF THE LANDING AREA. (-23) MR. REX L. GAUNT WAS LANDING HIS AIRCRAFT ON A FIRE BREAK ROAD WHEN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL FORWARD OVER THE NOSE AND COME TO REST INVERTED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX98LA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA130), Mar 30, 1998: Cessna 150A (N6640T), Apple Valley, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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