Cessna 150J accident near Ripley, Tennessee, December 8, 1990
On December 8, 1990 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N51160, was destroyed in an accident near Ripley, Tennessee. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PERFORMING A STALL MANEUVER AT AN ALTITUDE BELOW PRESCRIBED MINIMUMS, AND HIS FAILURE TO APPLY CORRECT FLIGHT CONTROL INPUTS TO RECOVER FROM THE STALL AND SPIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 1990 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ripley, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N51160 · no longer on the register · serial 150-69804
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON A SOLO-INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT IN THE PRACTICE AREA. AFTER SEVERAL CIRCUITS AROUND HIS GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE (INSIDE THE PRACTICE AREA), HE SET UP FOR A POWER-OFF STALL. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, HE BEGAN THE STALL MANEUVER AT ABOUT 300 FEET AGL. A VIDEO TAPE ACCOUNT OF THE ACCIDENT REVEALS THAT THE AIRPLANE STALLED, THE THROTTLE WAS ADVANCED, AND THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A LEFT-HAND SPIN. ABOUT ONE TURN OF THE SPIN WAS COMPLETED WHEN THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TERRAIN IN A STEEP, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. ANALYSIS OF THE VIDEO REVEALED THAT THE ONLY FLIGHT CONTROL INPUT WAS FULL UP ELEVATOR, WHICH WAS APPLIED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE. THE STUDENT'S LOGBOOK INDICATED THAT TAUGHT HIM TO PERFORM ALL AIRWORK PRACTICE AT 3,000 FT MSL (ABOUT 2,500 FT AGL). THE STUDENT'S LOGBOOK INDICATED THAT STALLS HAD BEEN PRACTICED ON AT LEAST NINE PREVIOUS FLIGHTS (THREE SOLO FLIGHTS).
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: 22 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,916 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 28, 1990; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Shelby Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: M04 Covington TN at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:48 pm from DYR, 20 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.