Cessna 150 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, January 16, 1989
On January 16, 1989 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N6414K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. 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 STUDENT PILOT'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES DURING THE SIMULATED FORCED LANDING. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE EXTREME TEMPERATURES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1989 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N6414K · registry record · serial 15077690
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS SIMULATING A FORCED LANDING TO A FROZEN LAKE WHEN A LOSS OF POWER WAS EXPERIENCED. THE ACFT CRASHED INTO A WOODED AREA DURING THE APCH. THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS 15 DEG BELOW ZERO. THE STUDENT PLT STATED THAT THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN KEPT AT A HIGHER RPM DURING THE SIMULATED FORCED LANDING TO PREVENT CARB ICE.
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: 96 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,564 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 11, 1988; 81 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: MRI Anchorage AK at 5:37 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 7°F (-14°C), dew point 16°F (-9°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.
Other NTSB records under N6414K 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.