Cessna 150 accident near Carlos, Minnesota, July 3, 1991
On July 3, 1991 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N50637, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carlos, 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 PILOT'S FAILURE TO USE ADEQUATE CARBURETOR HEAT. FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS AND THE WIRES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1991 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Carlos, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N50637 · registry record · serial 15069452
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT WHILE FLYING IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS DURING AN IFR APPROACH, THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AND QUIT. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED ON A RURAL ROAD WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH POWER LINES AND THE TERRAIN. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND ENGINE RUN UP FAILED TO REVEAL THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE FAILURE. CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE FOR CARBURETOR ICING AT THE TIME.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 279 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 266 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,155 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 4, 1990; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Young & Young Assoc, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: RST Rochester MN at 4:30 pm
- Destination: AXN Alexandra MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:50 pm from AXN, 12 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.