Cessna 150M accident near San Antonio, Texas, April 25, 1984
On April 25, 1984 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N45387, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Antonio, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- April 25, 1984 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N45387 · no longer on the register · serial 15076896
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE RETURNING TO ARPT THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A ROUGH RUNNING ENG WITH A DROP IN RPM. THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT POWER TO MAINTAIN FLT AND AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE ON A HIGHWAY. THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING THE HARD LANDING. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE #1 ROD ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION. ONLY ABOUT 1 PINT OF OIL WAS FOUND REMAINING. THE 2ND RING ON PISTONS 2, 3 & 4 WERE OIL SCRAPER RINGS. THE 1ST AND 2ND RINGS ON EACH PISTON SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPRESSION RINGS. ALSO, THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF OVERHEATING & THE #2, #3 & #4 ROD TO CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS WERE PITTED & GALLED.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,607 hours in all; 725 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 2,449 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,145 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 24, 1983; 17 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: SSF San Antonio TX at 1:25 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 140° at 14 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.