Cessna 150 accident near Wheeler, Texas, May 15, 1983
On May 15, 1983 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N5525E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wheeler, Texas (Holt airport). It was an instructional 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
- May 15, 1983 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wheeler, Texas · Holt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N5525E · no longer on the register · serial 17025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT BEFORE REACHING ROTATION SPEED, WITH ABOUT 250 FT OF RWY REMAINING, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR DROPPED OFF INTO A CHUG HOLE IN THE RWY. THE ACFT BECAME PREMATURELY AIRBORNE, HEADING OFF THE RWY TO THE LEFT. IT CAME DOWN IN ROUGH TERRAIN COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR & CAME TO REST INVERTED.
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: 23 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,477 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 1982; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 2,820 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.