Cessna 150 accident near Jamestown, North Dakota, August 12, 2006
On August 12, 2006 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N17015, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jamestown, North Dakota. 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 preflight planning resulted in the pilot not attaining the proper takeoff climb and failure to maintain terrain clearance. Contributing factors included the transmission wires, the row of trees, and the field of corn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2006 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Jamestown, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N17015 · registry record · serial 15073582
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage after impacting a cornfield during takeoff from a grass airstrip. The pilot reported that he lifted the airplane off the grass airstrip, but was not able to clear the power lines so he flew under the wires. He lowered the nose of the airplane to gain airspeed. He reported that he attempted to clear a tree line, but the airplane settled into a cornfield. The pilot reported that the airplane did not experience a mechanical malfunction or 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 257 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JAS Jamestown ND at 11:10 pm
- Destination: BIS Bismarck ND
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.