Cessna 150M accident near Tower, Minnesota, November 20, 1998
On November 20, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66314, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tower, Minnesota (Tower 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane after landing. Factors contributing to this accident were the icy runway and the snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tower, Minnesota · Tower Airport · 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
- N66314 · registry record · serial 150-75983
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On his third landing at the Tower, Minnesota Airport, the pilot said that he touched down left of the runway centerline, and failed to correct back. He said that 'the left landing gear caught a [snow] drift and caused the nose [of the airplane] to turn into a snowbank.' Examination of the airplane revealed no 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
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,501 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 29, 1998; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELO Ely MN at 8:45 pm
- Destination: 12D
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from DLH, 58 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.