Cessna 150F accident near Abilene, Kansas, August 29, 2009
On August 29, 2009 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8312G, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Abilene, Kansas (Abilene Municipal 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 pilot's inadequate crosswind landing technique, resulting in an excessive side load on the left landing gear that led to an overload failure of its axle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 2009 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Abilene, Kansas · Abilene Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8312G · registry record · serial 15062412
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot said that while landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane on runway 35 with a north-northeast wind of 8 mph, he failed to lower the right wing into the wind. The wind raised the right wing while he was using left rudder. The airplane swerved to the east and the left wheel broke off. The airplane then nosed down, buckling the firewall. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors who examined the airplane reported the left axle bore a fracture surface consistent with an overload failure.
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
What happened, in order
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Aircraft structural failure during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › (general) › (general) › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 28 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 28 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,431 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 2009; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor 0-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K78 Abilene KS at 9:00 pm
- Destination: K78 Abilene KS
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 35, 4,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from SLN, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.