Cessna 150L accident near Shelbyville, Kentucky, July 10, 1986
On July 10, 1986 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N10949, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shelbyville, Kentucky (Shelby 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
- July 10, 1986 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Shelbyville, Kentucky · Shelby · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N10949 · no longer on the register · serial 150-75160
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RENTED THE ACFT WITHOUT VERIFYING THE ACTUAL FUEL ONBOARD. HE THEN FLEW TO HIS PVT STRIP, 26 NM AWAY, AND GAVE 'SEVERAL' PAX HOPS. ABOUT 5 MINS AFTER TAKEOFF FOR THE FLT TO RETURN THE ACFT TO THE OWNER'S FIELD, THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND QUIT. THE PLT FLEW THROUGH A FENCE TO SLOW THE ACFT AND STRUCK A DITCH DURING LANDING ROLLOUT. THREE AND ONE HALF GALLONS OF FUEL WERE DRAINED FROM THE LEFT WING. THE RIGHT WING TANK WAS FOUND EMPTY. THE OWNER OF THE ACFT HAD INSTRUCTED LINE PERSONNEL TO FILL ONLY THE LEFT TANK PRIOR TO THIS FLT.
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; 117 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 137 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,409 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 16, 1985; 93 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: PVT Shelbyville KY at 7:25 pm
- Destination: JVY Sellersburg IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from LOU, 20 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.
Other NTSB records under N10949 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.