Cessna 150K accident near Minot, North Dakota, November 18, 2000
On November 18, 2000 at about 10:05 pm local time, a Cessna 150K, registered N562GS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minot, North Dakota (Minot International Arpt 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 student pilot's inability to maintain aircraft control on the ground. Factors relating to the accident were the high winds, the slush-covered taxiway, the snowbank, inadequate preflight planning by the flight instructor, and the instructor pilot's failure to take remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2000 · about 10:05 pm local time
- Place
- Minot, North Dakota · Minot International Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150K · all 150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N562GS · registry record · serial 15071509
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor pilot said that the "winds reported on prebrief were 290 [degrees] at 24 [knots]. She said that they were given taxi instructions to runway 31 at the Minot International Airport, "[taxiway] f, R/W (runway) 8, R (right) on [taxiway] c", and "after turning R (right), keep left on [the] T/W (taxiway). The instructor pilot said that after executing the instructions, "slush was encountered on the left side. That, coupled with a sudden increase in wind speed - gust, made the airplane skid to the left ... The nose sank into a snow bank." As they were preparing to exit the airplane, the instructor pilot said, "the nose submerged further and the tail moved upwards progressively till the aircraft laid upside down." An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. At 1605 cst, the local weather observation at the Minot International Airport reported winds of 290 degrees at 24 knots.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 505 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 420 as pilot in command; 95 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 14, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MOT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 24 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 95°F (35°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:05 pm from MOT, 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.
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.