Cessna 150M accident near Sidney, Nebraska, December 16, 1997
On December 16, 1997 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N3820V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sidney, Nebraska (Sidney Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind which resulted in a loss of directional control. Factors associated with the accident were the crosswind, the misunderstood radio communication, and the rough terrain which the airplane encountered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 1997 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sidney, Nebraska · Sidney 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
- N3820V · registry record · serial 15076633
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot called for a wind check and misunderstood the velocity for 7 knots when it was actually 17 knots. He reported that on takeoff rotation the nose and left wing went 'straight up.' He decided to abort the landing and to use another runway. Once on the ground the airplane veered off the runway, the nose gear collapsed, and the right wing contacted the terrain.
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: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1997; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNY at 1:00 pm
- Destination: STK Sterling CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 6,601 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.