Cessna 150L accident near Talladega, Alabama, January 8, 1990
On January 8, 1990 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N7950F, was destroyed in an accident near Talladega, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER INFLIGHT DECISION TO ATTEMPT TO CONTINUE VFR FLIGHT IMC CONDITIONS WITH NO INSTRUMENT RATING, CLEARANCE OR EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1990 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Talladega, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7950F · no longer on the register · serial 1500453
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE, NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT, FLYING THE LEAD AIRPLANE IN A FLIGHT OF THREE, FLEW INTO A CLOUD IN AN AREA OF RISING TERRAIN AND CRASHED. THE PILOTS OF THE OTHER TWO AIRPLANES EXECUTED A 180 DEGREE TURN AND LANDED SAFELY AT A NEARBY AIRPORT.
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: 3,500 hours in all; 2,800 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,469 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1989; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: THA Tullahoma TN at 3:00 pm
- Destination: CSG Columbus GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:49 pm from ANB, 27 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.