Cessna 150C accident near Kenai, Alaska, March 30, 1985
On March 30, 1985 at about 5:34 pm local time, a Cessna 150C, registered N7866Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kenai, Alaska (Kenai, Ak 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 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
- March 30, 1985 · about 5:34 pm local time
- Place
- Kenai, Alaska · Kenai, Ak · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150C · all 150Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7866Z · registry record · serial 59966
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON A LOCAL PLEASURE SIGHTSEEING TRIP WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT; THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A FORCED LANDING ON A ROAD.JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK TWO POWER LINES. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE RAN OUT OF FUEL AND HE BELIEVED THAT HE HAD ENOUGH FUEL FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 516 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 516 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,458 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 15, 1984; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENA Kenai AK at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 7,575 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:37 pm from ENA, 1 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N7866Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.