What happened
On June 6, 2025, at approximately 0530 mountain standard time, a Cessna 150M, registration N45659, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona. The aircraft was operating as a Part 91 instructional flight.
The pilot departed from runway 07L at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT). While performing a left turn to the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern at approximately 300 feet above ground level, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to continue the turn to return to the runway, but the aircraft descended rapidly. The airplane landed in a vacant lot located approximately 3,100 feet northeast of the departure runway threshold and subsequently nosed over.
The accident resulted in 2 minor injuries to the flight instructor and student pilot, with 0 fatalities.
The investigation
The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the empennage and the aft fuselage. During the incident, fuel was observed leaking from the aircraft while it was in an inverted position. During the recovery process, several gallons of fuel were extracted from the fuel tank to assist with the transport of the wreckage.