Cessna 150M accident near Beasley, Texas, October 8, 2016
On October 8, 2016 at about 11:40 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 150M, registered N704LE, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Beasley, Texas (Wharton Regional airport). It was an instructional 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 No. 2 cylinder exhaust valve being stuck in the “full open” position due to carbon deposits, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2016 · about 11:40 pm local time · cases in 2016
- Place
- Beasley, Texas · Wharton Regional · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M, built 1976 · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704LE · no longer on the register · serial 15078689
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he was returning from a solo flight when the engine "started failing." The engine speed decreased to about 1,500 rpm with a "significant" vibration. The pilot's efforts to restore engine power were unsuccessful, and the engine ultimately lost total power. He subsequently conducted a forced landing to a plowed field, during which the airplane nosed over. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 2 cylinder exhaust valve was stuck in the "full open" position. Disassembly of the cylinder revealed that the exhaust valve stem exhibited carbon deposits consistent with the stuck valve condition. No other engine anomalies were noted.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Not specified other cases naming the engine
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 167 hours in all; 143 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 53 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 27, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,652.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 18, 2015; 117 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200-A (piston); 4,381 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARM Wharton TX at 9:10 pm
- Destination: SGR Sugar Land TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from ARM, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Engine
Photo 2 – No. 2 Cylinder
Photo 3 – No. 2 Cylinder
Photo 4 – Exhaust Valve
Photo 5 – Exhaust ValveThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on June 22, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Examination Summary | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Report Photos | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records - Airframe (Excerpt) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Maintenance Records - Engine (Excerpt) | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Engine Maintenance Manual - Excerpt | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Weather Documentation - Wharton Regional Airport | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N704LE: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,993 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200-A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wharton Regional · nearest airport
- Sugar Land Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,235 since 1982 · 1,056 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,943 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN17LA014.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.