Cessna 150F accident near Arden, North Carolina, February 13, 1990
On February 13, 1990 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8615S, was destroyed in an accident near Arden, North Carolina. It was a personal 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
THE PILOT FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE ALTITUDE AND CLEARANCE FROM A POWERLINE DURING THE LANDING APPROACH. A FACTOR WAS THE UNMARKED POWERLINE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 1990 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Arden, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8615S · no longer on the register · serial 15061915
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED THE ACFT WAS ON LANDING APPROACH WHEN IT STRUCK UNMARKED POWER LINES ABOUT 1000 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT BANKED LEFT JUST BEFORE THE ACFT STRUCK THE POWER LINE. WITNESSES ALSO REPORTED THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING UP UNTIL THE ACCIDENT. THE EXAMINATION DID NOT REVEAL EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,951 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,587 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 1989; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 pm from AVL
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.