Cessna 150D accident near Wanatah, Indiana, February 11, 1984
On February 11, 1984, a Cessna 150D, registered N4361U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wanatah, Indiana (Porter County Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 11, 1984
- Place
- Wanatah, Indiana · Porter County Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150D · all 150Ds on the register
- Registration
- N4361U · registry record · serial 15060361
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 1716 CST, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT CONTACTED A FSS, REPORTED HE WAS IN THE CLOUDS WITH ABOUT 1 HR OF FUEL ON BOARD & REQUESTED 'VECTOR ME SOMEPLACE.' HE WAS TOLD THAT INDIANAPOLIS WAS VFR, BUT THE PLT STATED THAT HE COULD NOT REACH INDIANAPOLIS & REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE PORTER COUNTY MUNI ARPT AT VALPARAISO. TWO ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO MAKE AN ILS/VOR APCH TO RWY 27. HOWEVER, RADIO CONTACT WITH THE PLT WAS LOST & THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND ABOUT 6 MI WEST OF THE ARPT. THE ACFT CAME TO REST, INVERTED, ABOUT 250 FT FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED ONLY 2 GAL OF FUEL WAS REMAINING.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 2,312 hours in all; 2,243 as pilot in command; 1,090 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,790 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 26, 1983; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MWA Marion IL
- Destination: 39C Three Oaks MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.