Cessna 150M accident near Centralia, Illinois, October 25, 1995
On October 25, 1995 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N63566, was substantially damaged in an accident near Centralia, Illinois (Centralia Municipal 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 pilot's improper use of flaps leading to the inadvertant stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 1995 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Centralia, Illinois · Centralia Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63566 · no longer on the register · serial 15077399
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED LANDING LONG. REALIZING THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH RUNWAY REMAINING TO COME TO A SAFE STOP, HE ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND. TO AVOID THE CORNFIELD AHEAD OF HIM, THE PILOT ADDED FULL POWER AND RETRACTED THE FLAPS TO 20 DEGREES. BELIEVING HE STILL DID NOT HAVING ENOUGH ALTITUDE TO AVOID THE CORNFIELD, THE PILOT 'INCREASED PITCH AND RETRACTED THE REMAINING FLAPS.' 'THE AIRCRAFT STALLED' AND IMPACTED IN THE CORNFIELD. THE PROCEDURE FOR A GO-AROUND IN THIS AIRPLANE, TAKEN FROM THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK, READS, 'UPON REACHING A SAFE AIRSPEED, FLAPS SHOULD BE SLOWLY RETRACTED TO THE FULL UP POSITION.' EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRPLANE WHICH COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: 151 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,400 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 12, 1995; 52 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: ENL at 8:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,750 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from MVN, 16 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.
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.