Cessna 150G accident near Ridgeway, Virginia, August 14, 1990
On August 14, 1990 at about 10:58 pm local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N459AE, was destroyed in an accident near Ridgeway, Virginia (Pace airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1990 · about 10:58 pm local time · cases in 1990
- Place
- Ridgeway, Virginia · Pace · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N459AE · no longer on the register · serial 15066604
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRPLANE WAS ON A GO-AROUND, WHEN IT DESCENDED AND STRUCK THE GROUND. SOME OF THE WITNESSES REPORTED THE FLAPS WERE EXTENDED AND THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING AT FULL POWER DURING THE GO-AROUND. ONE WITNESS SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING NEAR STALL SPEED BEFORE IT DESCENDED. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PASSENGER/OWNER WAS SEATED IN THE LEFT SEAT, AND HE HAD ABOUT 3 HOURS OF TOTAL TIME. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE DID NOT DISCLOSE 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,747 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 1990; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Martinsville VA
- Destination: Ridgeway VA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:48 pm from DAN, 25 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N459AE: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,992 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pace Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,973 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/BFO90FA070.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.