Cessna 150J accident near Fayetteville, North Carolina, January 15, 1988
On January 15, 1988 at about 11:22 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N60362, was destroyed in an accident near Fayetteville, North Carolina (Fayetteville Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- January 15, 1988 · about 11:22 pm local time
- Place
- Fayetteville, North Carolina · Fayetteville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N60362 · registry record · serial 15070253
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT RPTDLY BECAME LOST ON A SOLO X-C FLIGHT, AND WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE HER DESTINATION ARPT. SHE SUBSEQUENTLY OBTAINED RADAR VECTORS TO ANOTHER ARPT. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUNTLY LOST POWER WHILE ON FINAL APPCH TO THE ARPT, AND THE AIRPLANE CRASHED INTO TREES ABOUT 1.5 MILES SHORT OF THE RWY. POST-CRASH EXAM OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE FUEL SUPPLY WAS EXHAUSTED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED WITH ADEQUATE FUEL FOR THE PLANNED 1 HR TRIP. THE ACTUAL TIME IN FLIGHT WAS ABOUT 2.2 HRS. THE STUDENT PLT RPTDLY HAD A TOTAL OF ABOUT 8 HRS SOLO FLT EXPERIENCE.
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: 62 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,464 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 8, 1987; 70 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: CLT Charlotte NC at 9:10 pm
- Destination: LBT Lumberton NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 7,204 ft by 195 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 020° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:35 pm from FAY
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.