Cessna 150M accident near Pillager, Minnesota, November 6, 1984
On November 6, 1984 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N45574, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pillager, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 6, 1984 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Pillager, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N45574 · no longer on the register · serial 15076976
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF UPHILL ON A GRASS RWY THAT WAS DEW COVERED. THE FIELD WAS APRX 1600 FT LONG BORDERED BY 50-75 FT TREES.THE PLT STATED THAT DURING TAKEOFF ROLL THE ACFT LIGHTS WERE FLICKERING. HE SAID THAT THE ACFT WAS AIRBORNE APRX 300 FT BEFORE REACHING THE TREE LINE. ACCORDING TO HIS STATEMENT THE ACFT ENG LOST POWER IN THE CLIMB WHEN THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 20 FT FROM THE TREE LINE. THE ACFT CONTACTED AND REMAINED IN THE TREES. ON THE DAY FOLLOWING, THE ACFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE TREES; THE ENG WAS STARTED & RAN NORMALLY. THE PLT USED 20 DEGREES OF FLAPS FOR TAKEOFF. THE ACFT OPERATING HANDBOOKCALLED FOR 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS AND A TAKEOFF DISTANCE OF 1570 FT TO CLEAR A 50 FT OBSTACLE ON A DRY GRASS RWY. THE UNKNOWNS INTRODUCED BY WET GRASS, UPHILL RWY & IMPROPER FLAP SETTING CANNOT BE CALCULATED ACCURATELY.
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: 65 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 40 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,307 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 13, 1984; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LXL Little Falls MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 025° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.