Cessna 150F accident near Sturgis, South Dakota, June 4, 1990
On June 4, 1990 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N6418F, was destroyed in an accident near Sturgis, South Dakota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT INADVERTENTLY STALLING THE AIRPLANE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1990 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sturgis, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6418F · no longer on the register · serial 15063018
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS SPRAYING HIS BROTHER'S FIELD WITH 2-4-D. HE MADE A WIDE RIGHT TURN TO START ANOTHER SPRAY RUN. THE BANK WAS TIGHTENED TO ALIGN THE ACFT WITH THE SWATH PATH. THE ACFT STALLED AND CRASHED. POST-CRASH INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PLT HAD INSTALLED A SPRAY KIT ON THE ACFT, BUT HAD FAILED TO HAVE THE ACFT INSPECTED BY A CERTIFIED MAINTENANCE INSPECTOR. THERE WERE NO ENTRIES MADE IN THE MAINTENANCE LOG, AND NO FAA FORM 337 HAD BEEN COMPLETED. THE PLT DID NOT OBTAIN A 14 CFR 137 CERTIFICATE, AND ONLY HELD A STUDENT PLT CERTIFICATE.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 17 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,272 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 13,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from RAP, 31 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.
Other NTSB records under N6418F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.