Cessna 150M accident near Orange, Virginia, March 11, 1986
On March 11, 1986 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N6143K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Orange, Virginia (Orange County Airport). 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
- March 11, 1986 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Orange, Virginia · Orange County Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N6143K · no longer on the register · serial 15077551
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 1245 EST, THE PLT TOOK OFF ON HIS SECOND FLT OF THE DAY AND FLEW IN THE LOCAL AREA ABOUT 30 MINUTES. UPON RETURNING TO ORANGE COUNTY ARPT, THE PLT OBSERVED THE TETRAHEDRON DURING THE LEFT DOWNWIND LEG FOR RWY 25, AND NOTED THAT THE WIND HAD CHANGED DIRECTION ABOUT 90 DEGREES. ADDITIONALLY, THE WIND SOCK WAS ALMOST STRAIGHT OUT, INDICATING ANINCREASED VELOCITY. THE PLT EXECUTED A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING, AND ON THE SECOND APPROACH, ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN RWY ALIGNMENT DUE TO LOW LEVEL WIND TURBULENCE, THEREFORE A GO-AROUND WAS PERFORMED. FOLLOWING THE THIRD APPROACH AND TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT VEERED TO THE LEFT AND DEPARTED RWY 25 ABOUT 800 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END. THE ACFT TRAVELLED ABOUT 400 FEET BEFORE COLLIDING WITH A DRAINAGE DITCH. THE ACFT THEN FLIPPED OVER AND CAME TO REST INVERTED.
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: 57 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 35 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 8, 1985; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sumat INC.
The flight
- Departed from: W93 at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from CHO, 14 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.
Other NTSB records under N6143K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.