Cessna 150G accident near Roanoke, Virginia, April 28, 1987
On April 28, 1987 at about 4:44 am local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N3043S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Roanoke, Virginia (Roanoke Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1987 · about 4:44 am local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Roanoke, Virginia · Roanoke Regional · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3043S · registry record · serial 15066943
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ENROUTE FROM GAITHERSBURG, MD, TO BLACKSBURG, VA, THE PLT DECIDED TO DIVERT TO ROANOKE, VA, DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA. ON X-WIND LEG TO RWY 33 AT ROANOKE THE ENG STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. AFT CARB HEAT WAS APPLIED IT SMOOTHED OUT BUT QUIT COMPLETELY ON EXTENDED FINAL. DURING THE FORCED LNDG THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DMGD. EXAM OF THE FUEL TKS REVEALED NO FUEL IN THE RT TK AND 2 GALS IN THE LEFT. THE PLT STATED THAT HE FLEW THE ACFT AT FULL RICH AT ALL TIMES DURING THE FLT AND THAT HE RAN INTO STRONGER THAN FORECAST HEADWINDS.
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: 160 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,211 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 21, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAI Gathersburg MD at 1:05 am
- Destination: BCB Blacksburg VA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33, 5,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from ROA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N3043S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3043S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,994 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Roanoke/Blacksburg Regional (Woodrum Field) · nearest airport
- Montgomery County Airpark · departed from
- Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,972 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3043S 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/BFO87LA033.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.