Cessna 150M accident near Bethel, Alaska, September 14, 2010
On September 14, 2010 at about 9:00 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N45624, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Bethel, Alaska (Bethel 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 pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance during a night approach, resulting in a collision with terrain short of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2010 · about 9:00 am local time
- Place
- Bethel, Alaska · Bethel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N45624 · no longer on the register · serial 15076995
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo commercial pilot was doing full stop night landings, to become night current under Title 14, CFR Part 91. He said on his third landing, he noticed that the vertical approach slope indicator (VASI) lights were becoming red over red indicating that he was below the glide slope. He said he should have applied full power. The pilot reported that the airplane continued to descend, and struck the elevated instrument landing system (ILS) runway centerline lights and terrain short of the runway. He said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The airplane's fuselage sustained substantial damage during the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,915 hours in all; 183 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,724 as pilot in command; 1,210 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 20, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,509 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 9, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABE Bethel AK at 3:30 pm
- Destination: PABE Bethel AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19R, 6,400 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 3:20 pm from PABE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.