Cessna 150M accident near Cresson, Texas, December 20, 1986
On December 20, 1986 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N714KY, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cresson, Texas (Bourland Field). 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 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
- December 20, 1986 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Cresson, Texas · Bourland Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N714KY · no longer on the register · serial 15079245
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ABOUT 45 MIN OF FLT TIME, THE INSTRUCTOR (CFI) & STUDENT PLT ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO PRACTICE TOUCH-&-GO LANDINGS. AS THEY WERE TAKING OFF FROM THE 1ST TOUCH-&-GO, THE ENG LOST POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THEY MADE A FORCED LANDING IN AN OPEN AREA NEAR THE RWY. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE GEAR ENCOUNTERED SOFT/WET TERRAIN & COLLAPSED. AN EXAM OF THE FUEL SYS REVEALED THERE WAS ONLY .6 GAL OF USABLE FUEL REMAINING. THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLOWN 3 HRS ON A PREVIOUS FLT & WAS NOT REFUELED BEFORE TAKING OFF ON THE ACDNT FLT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,122 hours in all; 210 in this make and model; 57 in the last 90 days; 958 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,115 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 25, 1986; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tarrent Aero Assoc.
The flight
- Departed from: F72 Fort Worth TX at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,140 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from FTW, 22 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.