Cessna 150J accident near Dublin, North Carolina, January 1, 1985
On January 1, 1985 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N50913, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dublin, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- January 1, 1985 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dublin, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N50913 · no longer on the register · serial 15069637
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT LOST POWER IN CRUISE FLIGHT AND HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND IN AN OPEN FIELD. HE ABORTED THE APPROACH BECAUSE OF A TAILWIND AND FLEW ALONG A RIVER FOR APRX 1 MILE BEFORE DITCHING IN THE WATER. THE ACFT SANK IN THE RIVER AND THE PLT SWAM TO SHORE. THE ACFT WAS NOT RECOVERED FROM THE RIVER AND CAUSE OF THE POWER LOSS WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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: 335 hours in all; 295 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,927 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 1984; 2 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: 4WI Elizabethtown NC at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 900 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N50913 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.