Cessna 150 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, March 16, 1999
On March 16, 1999 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8620S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a personal 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 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
- March 16, 1999 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, 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
- N8620S · registry record · serial 15061920
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot rented the accident airplane from a local flight school. He reported that while in cruise flight, the engine began to run rough, and lose power. The engine continued to lose power until altitude could no longer be maintained, and the pilot selected a frozen lake as an emergency landing site. He said that as the airplane touched down, deep snow pivoted the airplane to the right, and the left wing struck the snow. An FAA inspector interviewed the owner of the airplane on the following day. He reported that the owner and his mechanic traveled to the accident site in order to recover the accident airplane. The owner told the FAA inspector that upon arrival at the accident site, the engine primer was found in the unlocked position. He added that once the primer was placed in the locked position, the engine was started. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and elevator. During a subsequent follow-up telephone conversation with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot said the airplane's primer was in and locked at the time of the accident.
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: 112 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,961 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1999; 6 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: FAI AK at 2:30 pm
- Destination: FYU Fort Yukon AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°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 N8620S 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.