Cessna 150 accident near Reeds Spring, Missouri, August 28, 1990
On August 28, 1990 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N2973S, was destroyed in an accident near Reeds Spring, Missouri (Emerson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A DELAYED GO-AROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1990 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Reeds Spring, Missouri · Emerson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N2973S · no longer on the register · serial 15066873
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND, ON A 2200 FOOT SOD STRIP, IN A FULL FLAP CONFIGURATION, THE PILOT ELECTED TO ATTEMPT A GO-AROUND. HE REDUCED HIS FLAP SETTING BY 10 DEGREES, WHICH LEFT 30 DEGREES OF FLAP, BUT WAS UNABLE TO ESTABLISH A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB, AND STALLED. THE ACFT CAME TO REST IN SOME TREES, ABOUT 20 FEET AGL. AFTER THE PLT AND PAX EGRESSED, THE ACFT CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS DESTROYED. THE AIR TEMPERATURE AT THE TIME WAS NEAR 100 DEGREES AND THE LANDING WAS BEING ATTEMPTED IN ABOUT A 70 DEGREE, 10 KNOT CROSSWIND.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,750 hours in all; 375 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 3,578 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- 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: SGF Springfield MO at 7:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from SGF, 30 miles away
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.