Cessna 150L accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, February 28, 1984
On February 28, 1984 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N10719, was substantially damaged in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 1984 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N10719 · registry record · serial 15074985
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON DOWNWIND FOR A TOUCH AND GO, THE STUDENT PILOT NOTICED A STRANGE ENGINE NOISE. SHE ELECTED TO DO ANOTHER TOUCH & GO, & DURING A TURN FROM CROSSWIND TO DOWNWIND, A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED. A FORCED LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED ONTO A ROAD. CHILDREN WERE CROSSING THE ROAD AND DISTRACTED THE PILOT. THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A TREE AND THE AIRCRAFT THEN STRUCK THE GROUND INVERTED. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE MUFFLER TUBE HAD CORRODED ENOUGH TO DISPLACE THE END OF THE TUBE AGAINST THE FIREWALL ALLOWING HOT GASES TO ESCAPE. THE GASES BURNED THE WIRE BUNDLE CONTAINING PRIMARY MAGNETO LEADS TO BOTH MAGNETOS AND THE LANDING LIGHT. THE ACFT WAS 37 HOURS OVER DUE FOR A 100 HOUR INSPECTION.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,628 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1983; 1,365 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.