Cessna A150K accident near Elkhart, Indiana, November 14, 1987
On November 14, 1987 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna A150K, registered N8382M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elkhart, Indiana (Mishawaka airport). It was a personal 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
- November 14, 1987 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Elkhart, Indiana · Mishawaka · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150K · all A150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N8382M · no longer on the register · serial A1500082
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OF CESSNA A150K, N8382M, WAS LANDING AFTER THE PLT OF ANOTHER CESSNA 150 HAD LANDED & HAD STARTED TO BACK-TAXI UP THE SAME RWY. THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT STATED THAT SHE HAD ANNOUNCED HER INTENTIONS TO BACK TAXI UP THE RWY & THAT SHE DID NOT HEAR ANY TRAFFIC CALLS FROM N8382M THRU-OUT HER LANDING SEQUENCE. ALSO, SHE STATED THAT IT WAS NORMAL PRACTICE AT THAT ARPT TO BACK-TAXI ON THE PAVED RWY RATHER THAN IN THE GRASS. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME, BOTH PLTS SAW THE OTHER'S ACFT. THE PLT OF N8382M MANEUVERED TO THE LEFT WHILE THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT TURNED TO THE RIGHT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LANDING GEAR OF N8382M COLLAPSED AS THE PLT INTENTIONALLY GROUND LOOPED THE ACFT TO AVOID A COLLISION.
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: 5,762 hours in all; 431 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 5,542 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,440 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3C1 at 8:45 pm
- Destination: 3C1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 2,600 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:48 pm from SBN, 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 N8382M 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.