Cessna 150 accident near Livingston, Tennessee, October 9, 1985
On October 9, 1985 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N714BZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Livingston, Tennessee. 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
- October 9, 1985 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Livingston, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N714BZ · no longer on the register · serial 15079062
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN RUGGED TREE COVERED TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF PWR DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION WHILE ON A X-COUNTRY FLT. THE PLT DECAME LOST NEAR LIVINGSTON, TN, AND CONTACTED THE CROSSVILLE AND LONDON FSS FOR ASSISTANCE.THE ACFT WAS LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF THE LIVINGSTON VOR, HOWEVER, THE PLT DID NOT FOLLOW THE HEADINGS ISSUED FOR A DF STEER TO THE ARPT. THE FORCED LANDING WAS MADE APRX 10 MILES NORTH OF THE LIVINGSTON ARPT. INSPECTION OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO FUEL PRESENT IN THE CARB OR FUEL LINES. THE TWO WING FUEL TANKS CONTAINED A TOTAL OF 3.5 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE ACFT HAS A FUEL CAPACITY OF 26 GALLONS OF WHICH 3.5 GALLONS ARE 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: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 388 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 360 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 27, 1984; 516 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Farrington Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: KY29 Paducah KY
- Destination: GCY Greeneville TN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:32 pm from PAH, 160 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.