Cessna 150L accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, April 25, 1988
On April 25, 1988 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N1491Q, was destroyed in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee (Little Creek airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- April 25, 1988 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · Little Creek
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N1491Q · no longer on the register · serial 15072791
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,127 hours in all; 1,021 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 1,879 as pilot in command; 1,577 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,943 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 1988; 23 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: TN04 Knoxville TN at 6:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,100 ft by 116 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from TYS, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.