Cessna 150M accident near Whiteville, North Carolina, January 3, 1986
On January 3, 1986 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66218, was substantially damaged in an accident near Whiteville, North Carolina (Columbus County Muni airport). 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 3, 1986 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Whiteville, North Carolina · Columbus County Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66218 · no longer on the register · serial 15075927
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT HAD MOVED THE AIRCRAFT CLOSER TO THE TERMINAL ABOUT 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THIS ATTEMPTED START. HE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES BUT IT WOULD NOT START. THE PLT THEN PRIMED THE ENG SEVERAL TIMES. HIS WIFE SHOUTED TO HIM THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON FIRE. HIS EFFORTS TO PUT THE FIRE OUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.
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: student
- Flight time: 59 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,171 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1985; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:49 pm from FAY, 44 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.