Cessna 150F accident near Grants, New Mexico, July 18, 2002
On July 18, 2002 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8067S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grants, New Mexico (Grants - Milan 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 inadequate preflight preparation, and his failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Contributing factors were the high density altitude conditions, the terrain barrier (berm).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2002 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Grants, New Mexico · Grants - Milan Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8067S · no longer on the register · serial 15061667
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he climbed approximately 350 feet and made one circle to climb to altitude. The airplane was having difficulty climbing. As he executed a shallow turn back toward the airport, the pilot had difficulty maintaining altitude. He was considering an off-field landing, but realized there was a soil berm in his flight path. The pilot "eased" the control column back to clear the berm, and the airplane stalled. The airplane then struck the ground, bending both wing tips up, and bending both the engine mount and firewall. The density altitude was calculated to be 9,322 feet. The service ceiling of the airplane was12,650 feet.
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: 713 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 713 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 14, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,340.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 2002; 52.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GNT Grants NM at 7:45 pm
- Destination: OEO Moriarty NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from GNT, 1 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.