Cessna 150L accident near Hillsboro, Ohio, September 22, 1985
On September 22, 1985 at about 5:25 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N21903, was destroyed in an accident near Hillsboro, Ohio. It was a business 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
- September 22, 1985 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Hillsboro, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N21903 · no longer on the register · serial 15074524
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN BY A PLT WHO'S COMPANY TAKES LOW ALT PHOTOS OF FARMS FOR LATER RESALE. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED WITH HAND-HELD 35MM CAMERAS FROM THE RIGHT SEAT. ACCORDING TO THE SINGLE WITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT, THE ACFT WAS FIRST SIGHTED FLYING 'LOW AND SLOW' OVER HIS PROPERTY, TURNING SHARPLEY. LATER, ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS, THE ACFT TURNED SHARPLEY AGAIN WHEN 'THE RIGHT WING FELL' AND THE ACFT DROPPED BEHIND THE TREES. DURING AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE CONTROL CONTINUITY TO THE COCKPIT WAS CONFIRMED. AN EXAMINATION OF SPARK PLUGS REVEALED NO FOULING.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 633 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 361 as pilot in command; 186 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,548 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 13, 1985; 559 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HOC Hillsboro OH at 5:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.