Cessna 150M accident near Cavalier, North Dakota, March 28, 1987
On March 28, 1987 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N2848V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cavalier, North Dakota (Cavalier Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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
- March 28, 1987 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cavalier, North Dakota · Cavalier Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N2848V · no longer on the register · serial 15076300
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS LANDING WITH A CROSS WIND. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED AND DRIFTED INTO SNOW BANK ALONG THE RIGHT EDGE OF THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE GEAR WAS BROKEN OFF IN THE COLLISION WITH THE SNOW BANK AND THE ENGINE WAS PUSHED INTO THE FIREWALL.
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: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 28 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,740 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1987; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,570 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from GFK, 53 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.