Cessna 150F accident near Dexter, New Mexico, August 31, 1986
On August 31, 1986 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8856S, was destroyed in an accident near Dexter, New Mexico (K.D. Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1986 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Dexter, New Mexico · K.D. Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8856S · registry record · serial 15062156
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT AND PAX WERE TAKING OFF FROM 1900 FT X 50 FT TURF RWY 30. PLT SAID SHE LIFTED OFF AT 45 MPH AND INITIATED CLIMB OF 55 MPH. AT 250 FT AGL ACFT SUDDENLY LOST 100 FT. ACFT THEN WENT INTO STEEP RIGHT BANK. ACFT CLEARED POWER LINES. RIGHT WING CONTACTED GROUND AND ACFT CARTWHEELED. ARPT DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS COMPUTED TO BE 5241 FT MSL. OWNER'S HANDBOOK STATES ACFT SHOULD BE ROTATED AT 50 MPH, INITIAL CLIMB AT 72 MPH UNTIL OBSTACLES ARE CLEARED, THEN CLIMB AT 75-80 MPH. ACFT GROSS WEIGHT FLAPS-UP POWER-OFF STALL SPEED AT ZERO ANGLE OF BANK IS 55 MPH.
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: 123 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 69 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,875 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 1985; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: ROW Rosewell NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 1,900 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:22 pm from ROW, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.