Cessna 150L accident near Tunica, Mississippi, September 20, 1985
On September 20, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N10735, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tunica, Mississippi. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- September 20, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tunica, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N10735 · no longer on the register · serial 15074992
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING A FORCED LANDING IN A COTTON FLD FOLLOWING FUEL EXHAUSTION. PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO TAKE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT DISCLOSED 2.5 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE RIGHT FUEL TANK AND THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY. THE ACFT OWNERS MANUAL STATES THE ACFT CONTAINS 3.5 GALLONS OF UNUSABLE FUEL.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 530 hours in all; 430 in this make and model; 234 in the last 90 days; 151 in the last 30 days; 325 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 24, 1985; 292 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: Walls MS
- Destination: Tunica MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from MEM, 35 miles away
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.
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.