Cessna 150D accident near Parkersburg, West Virginia, August 22, 1984
On August 22, 1984 at about 2:10 am local time, a Cessna 150D, registered N4278U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Parkersburg, West Virginia (Gil Robb Wilson 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
- August 22, 1984 · about 2:10 am local time
- Place
- Parkersburg, West Virginia · Gil Robb Wilson · map
- 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
- N4278U · registry record · serial 15060278
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE DEER ON THE RWY DURING THE LANDING ROLL BECAUSE OF THE DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,700 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 4,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,147 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 7, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 4,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 7°F (-14°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:10 am from PKB
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.