Cessna 150F accident near Portland, Indiana, November 3, 1983
On November 3, 1983 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8320G, was destroyed in an accident near Portland, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1983 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Portland, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8320G · no longer on the register · serial 150-62420
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE ACFT & FLEW A PREVIOUS CO-OWNER TO MONTPELIER, IN, WHERE HE LANDED AT ABOUT DUSK. THE PREVIOUS CO-OWNER DEPLANED. HE SAID THAT AFTER THE ACFT TOOK OFF, HE SAW IT TURN TO THE WEST & DEPART TOWARD MARION. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED BY NUMEROUS RESIDENTS, CIRCLING OVER PORTLAND, IN, APRX 16 MI SOUTHEAST OF MONTELIER, AT LOW ALT. THE RESIDENTS REPORTED THAT IT WAS MAKING FREQUENT DIVES, CLIMBS & CIRCLES AT LOW ALTITUDES. AT APRX 1830, IT CRASHED WHILE IN A STEEP DIVE. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE WAS MADE, BUT NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND. HOWEVER, THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE ACFT & EVIDENCE THAT IT HAD IMPACTED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. PATHOLOGICAL & TOXICOLOGICAL EXAMS REVEALED NO SIGNIFICATNT FACTORS.
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: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 24, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Montpelier IN at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 020° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.