Cessna 150L accident near Denton, Texas, October 19, 2004
On October 19, 2004 at about 10:16 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N6870G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denton, Texas (Denton Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to the separation of the accessory drive gear bolts, and the failure of the starter-clutch assembly. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2004 · about 10:16 pm local time
- Place
- Denton, Texas · Denton Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N6870G · no longer on the register · serial 15072370
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 2,292-hour flight instructor reported that after takeoff, the engine lost power. After initiating a forced landing to a field, the left wing impacted a tree during landing roll and the airplane came to rest upright. Review of the engine logbooks revealed that the starter clutch assembly was replaced twice within 15.64 hours. Examination of the engine revealed that the starter-clutch assembly would not rotate freely, and the starter-clutch shaft was severed into two pieces. The bolts that attach the accessory drive-gear to the camshaft were also severed.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,292 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 2,245 as pilot in command; 1,300 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 8, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 2003; 361.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Denton TX at 10:16 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from DTO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.