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Accidents · NTSB DFW05FA052 · Final report

Cessna 150M accident near Coleman, Texas, January 10, 2005

On January 10, 2005, a Cessna 150M, registered N45173, was destroyed in an accident near Coleman, Texas (Coleman Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision by his VFR flight into IMC which resulted in his failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing factors were fog and the pilot's inadequate preflight preparation.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
January 10, 2005
Place
Coleman, Texas · Coleman Municipal Airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
Aircraft
Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
Registration
N45173 · no longer on the register · serial 15076769
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The 122-hour pilot was known to make short (less than one hour) local flights in the mornings. On the day of the accident, he departed about 0730 and at 1130, a rancher located the wreckage of the airplane on his property and called 911. The pilot was not a certificated pilot; however, he was issued a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third class medical on July 16, 2002. Examination of his logbook revealed that during the two-year period that his medical was valid (expired July 31, 2004), he logged flight instruction from a flight instructor and had received several 90-day solo endorsements. The pilot's last 90-day solo endorsement was logged on July 2, 2004. A review of FAA airman records revealed the pilot attempted to renew his medical certificate on August 5, 2004, but was denied. At the time of the accident, the pilot had accrued approximately 122 total flight hours. Weather reported at an airport approximately 20 miles east-southeast of the accident site, at 0745, was reported as wind from 170 degrees at 4 knots, 6 statute miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and dew point 59 degrees Fahrenheit. An hour later, the weather had deteriorated to a quarter-mile visibility, overcast ceiling at 100 feet, temperature 61 degrees Fahrenheit, and a dew point 61 degrees Fahrenheit. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing before departure. A helicopter pilot, who was performing aerial spraying flights on the morning of the accident, stated that he departed at 0720 and began spraying runs in the local area. He was scheduled to spray fields near the accident site, but "it was fogged in."

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
  • Flight time: 122 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: None (invalid medical for flight)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: COM Coleman TX at 1:30 pm
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
  • Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 100 ft
  • Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
  • Observation at 2:45 pm from BWD, 23 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.