Cessna 150D accident near Watkinsville, Georgia, April 24, 1988
On April 24, 1988 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150D, registered N5921T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watkinsville, Georgia. 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
- April 24, 1988 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Watkinsville, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150D · all 150Ds on the register
- Registration
- N5921T · no longer on the register · serial 15060621
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
STRONG HEADWINDS WERE ENCOUNTERED DURING THE X-C FLT. THE PLT LANDED AT AN ARPT TO REFUEL BUT FOUND THE ARPT FBO TO BE CLOSED. HE CONTINUED ON TOWARD HIS DESTINATION. ABOUT 10 MILES FROM HIS DESTINATION, HE MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LDG IN A FIELD DUE TO A CRITICAL LOW-FUEL SITUATION. AFTER OBTAINING 5 GALS OF AVGAS FROM A NEARBY ARPT, HE ATTEMPTED TO TAKEOFF; BUT THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED IN AN ADJACENT PLOWED FIELD. THE PLT INITIALLY REPORTED THAT HE HAD ABORTED THE T/O AT 30-40 FT AGL AFTER HEARING THE STALL WARNING SOUND. A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE ACCIDENT HOWEVER, THE PLT RPTD THAT HIS ORIGINAL STORY WAS INACCURATE; HE INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD COMPLETELY LOST POWER SHORTLY AFTER T/O WHICH RESULTED IN A FORCED LDG. HE NOTED THAT HE HAD TOLD THE ORIGINAL, ERRONEOUS STORY BASED ON THE ADVICE OF THE ACFT OPERATOR.
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: 89 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 66 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: WDR Winder GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:49 pm from AHN, 10 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.