Cessna 150J accident near Wasilla, Alaska, April 14, 1996
On April 14, 1996 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N50529, was destroyed in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 14, 1996 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N50529 · no longer on the register · serial 15069375
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A certificated flight instructor was providing a flight demonstration to a prospective student. The student occupied the left seat. Prior to departure, the airplane engine was hard to start and became flooded. While starting, flames were observed emanating from the exhaust. The pilot continued cranking the engine and the flames went out. After departure, the instructor demonstrated slow flight and a series of turns and stalls, adding carburetor heat before each reduction of engine power. During the recovery from the third full flap stall, about 2,400 feet mean sea level (msl), the first pilot lowered the nose of the airplane and added throttle. The engine did not respond and the propeller stopped. Efforts to restore engine power, including activating the engine starter were unsuccessful. The pilot selected an emergency landing area on a road but then noticed power lines along the road. He then performed a landing into trees. The airplane settled to the ground inverted. A postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any mechanical malfunction. An AWOS weather observation, 3 miles north of the accident indicated a temperature of 47 degrees with a dew point temperature of 19 degrees.
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 land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,350 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,263 as pilot in command; 221 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,619 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 29, 1995; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from 4A1, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.