N3376J

On April 25, 1998, at 1600 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150G, N3376J, struck a boulder and collapsed the nose landing gear at a private dirt strip near Oroville, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot/owner was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight that originated at the Oroville airport approximately 15 minutes prior to the accident. No flight plan was filed.

The pilot reported that he overflew the dirt strip approximately 3,700 feet above ground level (agl) and set up for landing on a heading of 090 degrees. He reported that the approach was normal and that the aircraft was "hit with a gust of wind. . .[dropped] 1 foot below my planned approach," and hit rocks at the approach end of the dirt strip. The pilot reported that the aircraft traveled another 500 feet before the nose landing gear struck another rock, and subsequently collapsed the nose landing gear collapsed.

The pilot reported that the dirt strip is approximately 1,500 feet mean sea level (msl) at the approach end (west), 1,700 feet msl at the departure end (east), and is approximately 600 feet in length. He further reported that there were no mechanical difficulties noted with the aircraft.

The accident was reported to the Safety Board on April 30, 1998.