Cessna 150M accident near Bedford, Indiana, March 5, 2007
On March 5, 2007 at about 3:35 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66513, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bedford, Indiana (Virgil I Grissom Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2007 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Bedford, Indiana · Virgil I Grissom Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66513 · no longer on the register · serial 15076092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Eyewitnesses reported that the airplane was on a high final approach to runway 6 when it made a sudden 90-degree left turn to the north. The airplane then momentarily leveled its wings before entering a 45-degree dive toward the ground. The eyewitnesses thought it was unusual that the airplane was maneuvering toward runway 6, because the winds were out of the west. The airplane contacted a tree line before impacting an asphalt driveway and a house. The calculated descent angle was 28-degrees. According to the Indiana State Police, the student pilot and his ex-wife had an on-going custody dispute concerning their minor daughter. The passenger on board the airplane was the pilot's minor daughter. The house that the airplane impacted belonged to the pilot's ex-mother-in-law. The event was handled by the Indiana State Police as a murder/suicide homicide investigation. According to FAA regulation 14 CFR Part 61.89(a), a student pilot is prohibited from acting as pilot-in-command of an aircraft carrying passengers. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a pre-impact mechanical malfunction.
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: student
- Flight time: 16 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,838 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-200-A48 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFR Bedford IN at 2:00 pm
- Destination: BFR Bedford IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from BFR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.