Cessna 150M accident near Bethalto, Illinois, June 11, 2000
On June 11, 2000 at about 3:35 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66081, was destroyed in an accident near Bethalto, Illinois (St Louis Regional 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 improper in-flight decision of the pilot to fly past the Vandalia airport onto Saint Louis Regional and the fuel exhaustion. A factor was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2000 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Bethalto, Illinois · St Louis Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66081 · no longer on the register · serial 15075821
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N66081 was destroyed when it nosed over on impact with a ditch during a forced landing following an in-flight loss of engine power. The pilot was uninjured. The pilot said, 'I preflighted the airplane at 6:45 a.m. and checked fuel prior to take off from I34. The airplanes was fueled the day prior and flown .5 hrs or less.' The pilot stated, 'While enroute to (K39) St.Clair Regional I decided to stop at (VLA) Vandalia, IL for a weather update and restroom break. ... Vandalia had 2 parachutists under canopy and two more jumping in less that 2 minutes. The traffic pattern was full as well so I decided to fly northeast to St. Louis Regional - get fuel and a weather briefing. After getting clearance to land and setting up for pattern entry and starting to level off from descent to traffic pattern altitude the engine quit running. I radioed the tower and squacked 7700 on the x-ponder. After all emergency procedures failed to start the engine I made an off field landing in a soy bean field. The aircraft struck a ditch and flipped over destroying aircraft.' Reported flight time for the accident flight was three and a half hours. A FAA on-scene examination revealed no anomalies. Approximately one half gallon of fluid was found on the ground around each of the fuel tank's cap vent areas. A Cessna 150 performance-specification page stated, 'RANGE: Cruise, ... 22.5 Gallons, No Reserve ... 4.1 hrs.'
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; 47 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,850 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 2000; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I34 Greensburg IN at 12:05 pm
- Destination: K39 St Clair MO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:40 pm from ALN, 1 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N66081 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.