Cessna 150H accident near Racine, Wisconsin, September 21, 1985
On September 21, 1985 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N50433, was substantially damaged in an accident near Racine, Wisconsin (Horlick-Racine airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- September 21, 1985 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Racine, Wisconsin · Horlick-Racine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N50433 · no longer on the register · serial 15069300
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED A GUST OF WIND RESULTED IN A NOSE HIGH LEFT TURN JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. POWER WAS ADDED & THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT WENT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND HIT A DITCH.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 22 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,800 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 25 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: RAC at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 6,555 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 pm from MKE, 10 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N50433 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.