Cessna 150G accident near Franklin, Indiana, June 17, 1997
On June 17, 1997 at about 1:05 am local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N3787J, was destroyed in an accident near Franklin, Indiana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the instructor pilot stalled the aircraft as a result of inadequate preflight planning. Factors included the transmission wire, the rising terrain, and the trees at the departure end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 1997 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Franklin, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3787J · no longer on the register · serial 15065087
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot made a landing in a bean field located adjacent to the student's house. The landing had not been briefed prior to the flight. The bean field was about 2,200 feet in length. Obstacles at the departure end of the field included a small hill, trees, and powerlines. The student pilot reported that the CFI said, 'My aircraft,' during the takeoff roll. The CFI reported the airplane rotated normally, but he felt a 'major power loss' during the climb. He reported lowering the nose and then he saw the powerlines. The airplane hit the powerlines and impacted the ground. The student pilot reported he did not hear the engine stop and believed the propeller continued running. A witness reported the airplane went into a nose high attitude, and then banked left, striking the ground left wing first. He reported the engine was running continuously. An engine teardown did not reveal any anomalies.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command; 360 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,753 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1996; 50 hours since
- 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
- Destination: BFK IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.