Cessna 150K accident near Valley Center, Kansas, November 26, 1990
On November 26, 1990 at about 5:19 am local time, a Cessna 150K, registered N6026G, was destroyed in an accident near Valley Center, Kansas (Col James Jabara airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS PERSONAL ABILITIES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 1990 · about 5:19 am local time
- Place
- Valley Center, Kansas · Col James Jabara · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150K · all 150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N6026G · registry record · serial 15071526
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 2137 CST, THE PLT RCVD A WX BRIEFING FOR A FLT FROM SALINA, KS TO JABARA ARPT (3KM) AT WICHITA, KS. AT THAT TIME, VFR CONDS PREVAILED AT WICHITA & THE TEMP & DEW POINT HAD A 1 DEG SPREAD. THE PLT TOOK OFF OVR 1 HR LATER & DID NOT FILE A FLT PLN. HE CTCD WICHITA APCH CTL & SAID HE WAS VFR & HAD ENCTRD FOG. HE WAS ADZD THAT 2 OTR FLTS HAD MADE MISSED APCHS FM 3KM, BUT THE PLT ELECTED TO CONT. THE CTLR ISSUED AN IFR CLNC & STARTED TO PROVIDE VECTORS FOR A VOR/A APCH TO 3KM. THE CTLR THEN LEARNED THE PLT DID NOT HAVE APCH PLATES FOR THE AREA. HE DESCRIBED THE APCH IN DETAIL & CONTD PROVIDING VECTORS TO A FINAL APCH, BUT THE ACFT TURNED AWAY FM THE FINAL APCH COURSE. THE CTLR INSTRUCTED THE PLT TO CLB TO 3000' & ASKED IF HE WANTED VECTORS TO WICHITA MID-CONTINENT ARPT (ICT) FOR AN ILS. THE PLT AGREED. THE CTLR AGAIN TOLD THE PLT TO CLB TO 3000' & PROVIDED A VECTOR FOR AN ILS RWY 19R APCH AT ICT; HOWEVER, THE ACFT ENTERED A DSCNT & CRASHED. THE PLT NEVER ADZD THE CTLR THAT HE WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED.
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: 168 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 123 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 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: SLN Salina KS
- Destination: 3KM Wichita KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.