Cessna 150M accident near Screven, Georgia, September 20, 1986
On September 20, 1986 at about 11:30 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66297, was destroyed in an accident near Screven, Georgia (Jesup-Wayne CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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, 1986 · about 11:30 am local time
- Place
- Screven, Georgia · Jesup-Wayne CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66297 · no longer on the register · serial 150-75979
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT AND HIS BEST MAN FOR HIS WEDDING SCHEDULED FOR LATER IN THE DAY DEP LCL APT EARLY IN THE AM. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED MANEUVERING AT A LOW ALT OVER THE PLTS PARENTS HOME. WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE MANEUVERS TO BE LIKE A CROP DUSTER MAKING PULL UPS AND TURNS AT THE END OF A SWATH RUN. JUST PRIOR TO THE CRASH, WITH THE ACFT FLYING FROM WEST TO EAST, A WITNESS STATED THAT THE ACFT PULLED UP INTO 60-70 DEG OF PITCH, PUT THE LEFT WING STRAIGHT DOWN AND DESCEND OUT OF SIGHT BEHIND TREES. THE SOUND OF THE CRASH WAS HEARD AND SHORTLY SMOKE WAS SIGHTED. THE ACFT DESCENT ANGLE WAS NEAR VERTICAL AT IMPACT. SUNRISE WAS JUST ABOVE HORIZON.
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: 179 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 140 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,938 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 26, 1986; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Harless Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: JES Jesup GA at 11:10 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:49 am from AMG, 25 miles away
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.
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.