Cessna 150J accident near Bryan, Texas, March 11, 1982
On March 11, 1982 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N51394, was destroyed in an accident near Bryan, Texas (Coulter airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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 11, 1982 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bryan, Texas · Coulter · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N51394 · no longer on the register · serial 15069975
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A TOUCH & GO ON RWY 13 THE ENG FAILED. THE CFI ATTEMPTED A LEFT TURN BACK TO RWY 32. DURING THE TURN THE ACFT CONTACTED A TREE, THEN COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND FLIPPING THE ACFT INVERTED. ONE QUART OF FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE LEFT TANK & LESS THAN ONE GALLON DRAINED FROM THE RIGHT TANK. THE CFI STATED HE SENT THE STUDENT OUT TO PREFLIGHT & TO HAVE THE FBO REFUEL THE ACFT. THE CFI STATED HE PRESUMED THE FBO HAD ADDED FUEL & THAT THE STUDENT HAD USED THE DIPSTICK SINCE THE FUEL GAUGES WERE KNOWN TO BE INOPERATIVE. THE STUDENT HAD NOT FLOWN IN THIS ACFT BEFORE. HE STATED HE SAW SEVERAL INCHES OF FUEL IN THE TANKS & THAT THE CFI CHECKED HIS APPOINTMENT RECORD BOOK & SAID THEY WOULD BE OKAY ON FUEL BECAUSE 6 GALS HAD BEEN PUT IN EACH TANK EARLIER IN THE DAY.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,017 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bryan Aero INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CFD Bryan TX at 4:00 pm
- Destination: CFD Bryan TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 180°F (82°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from CLL, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.