Cessna 150 accident near Palmer, Alaska, May 23, 1990
On May 23, 1990 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N66425, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palmer, Alaska. 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 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S FAILURE TO USE CARBURETOR HEAT DURING A SIMULATED ENGINE FAILURE. THE ROUGH TERRAIN AND WEATHER CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1990 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N66425 · registry record · serial 15076039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
POWER WAS REDUCED AT 1,000-1,200 FT AGL FOR A SIMULATED ENGINE FAILURE. POWER WAS THEN ADDED FOR RECOVERY AT 150 FT AGL BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER IN A FRESHLY PLOWED FIELD. THE TEMP/DEW POINT WAS 45/32. THE CFI STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP AT THE TIME WAS 55-60 DEG AND THAT THE USE OF CARB HEAT WAS NOT WARRANTED FOR THE MANEUVER.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 348 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 283 as pilot in command; 14 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,351 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1990; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Nugget Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: PAQ Palmer AK at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:49 am from PAQ, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.