- Date
- April 16, 1986, 09:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Joshua Tree, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6398GCessna 150K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860416012079A
- Case key
- 25124
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt landed at the yucca valley arpt to refuel, but no fuel was available. The acft fuel gages registered 1/8 & 1/4 full, so the plt took off on a planned 7 min flt to another arpt. About 4 min after departing, fuel exhaustion occurred. During an emergency landing, the acft collided with a Joshua Tree & nosed over. The plt acknowledged that the acft 'ran out of fuel.' His last bfr was accomplished about 30 months prior to the accident. About 3 hrs after the accident, sheriff personnel administered a field sobriety test to the plt which showed that his alcohol level was 0.10.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6398G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15017898
- Airframe hours
- 4,004
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James Graham & Neil Hughes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 27, 1984 · 250 hours before
- Departed
- L22 · Yucca Valley, CA
- Destination
- L80 · Joshua Tree, CA
- Airport
- L22 · Yucca Valley
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N6398G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.