Cessna 150G accident near Mekoryuk, Alaska, July 20, 2015
On July 20, 2015 at about 5:00 am local time, a 1967 Cessna 150G, registered N3392J, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mekoryuk, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to land on an unsuitable landing surface which resulted in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2015 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Mekoryuk, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G UNDESIGNAT, built 1967 · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3392J · no longer on the register · serial 15066092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on a remote tidal beach in a tricycle landing gear-equipped airplane. He stated that after making several passes over the intended landing site, he made a normal approach and landing. During the landing rollout, the nose gear stuck in the sand, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Decision related to condition
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 14, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,746.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 2, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,499 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 4,781 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAMY Mekoryuk AK
- Destination: PAMY Mekoryuk AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 am from PAMY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 22, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.