Cessna 150 accident near Martinsburg, West Virginia, March 3, 1985
On March 3, 1985 at about 6:06 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N6562F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Martinsburg, West Virginia (Eastern West Virginia Reg airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- March 3, 1985 · about 6:06 pm local time
- Place
- Martinsburg, West Virginia · Eastern West Virginia Reg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N6562F · no longer on the register · serial 15063162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF ON RWY 35 & DEPARTED THE ARPT WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TOWER. APRX 30 MIN LATER, HE RETURNED & MADE SVRL MISSED APCHS, STILL WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TOWER. TOWER PSNL TRIED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE PLT & USED LIGHT SIGNALS WHILE DIRECTING OTHER TRAFFIC. THE PLT STATED (LATER) THAT HE SAW A C-130 ACFT ON THE TAXIWAY AS WELL AS SVRL OTHER LIGHT CIVIL ACFT IN THE AREA. HE THEN STATED THAT HE BECAME DISORIENTED & LOST CONTROL. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE ACFT ENTERED A STEEP CIRCLING MANEUVER WHICH TERMINATED WHEN THE LEFT WING HIT THE GROUND & THE ACFT FINALLY CAME TO REST BETWEEN RWY 8/26 & THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY. THE 75 YR OLD PLT HAD NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN THE CESSNA 150, HAD NOT FLOWN IN THE PREVIOUS 90 DAYS & HAD NEVER RECEIVED A BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW.
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: 700 hours in all; 650 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,941 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 18, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:06 pm from MRB
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.