Cessna 150D accident near Wasilla, Alaska, April 21, 1985
On April 21, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150D, registered N5947T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska (Wasilla airport). It was an instructional 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 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
- April 21, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Wasilla
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150D · all 150Ds on the register
- Registration
- N5947T · registry record · serial 15060647
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE AIRPLANE STRIKING THE SOFT SPOT ON THE RUNWAY. UNDERLYING FACTORS WERE THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S INABILITY TO DISTINGUISH THE SOFT RUNWAY SURFACE FROM SURROUNDING RUNWAY SURFACES, AND THE UNUSUALLY WARM TEMPERATURES FOR THAT TIME OF THE YEAR.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 780 hours in all; 780 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 625 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z16 Wasilla AK
- Destination: Z16 Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 2,100 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N5947T 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.