Cessna 150L accident near Lancaster, Texas, October 22, 1987
On October 22, 1987 at about 11:59 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N17176, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster airport). It was an instructional flight 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
- October 22, 1987 · about 11:59 pm local time
- Place
- Lancaster, Texas · Lancaster · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N17176 · registry record · serial 15073649
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE RTRNG FM A X-COUNTRY, THE STUDENT BCM DISORIENTED & REQD ASSISTANCE. REDBIRD TWR CTLR ADZD DALLAS-FT WORTH TRACON THAT THE PLT WAS LOST & NEEDED A BEACON IDENTIFICATION. A FEW MIN LATER, THE ACFT'S LOCATION WAS DETERMINED & THE CTLR AT REDBIRD RELAYED A VECTOR FOR THE PLT TO FLY TO REDBIRD. LATER, THE PLT ADZD HIS FUEL LEVEL WAS GETTING LOW. HE WAS GIVEN A FREQ TO TALK TO TRACON DIRECTLY. COMMUNICATIONS WERE WEAK & OTHER CONSIDERATIONS PROMPTED THE TRACON CTLR TO VECTOR THE PLT TO LANCASTER. AFTER THE PLT FND THE ARPT, RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED. BFR LNDG, THE PLT SAW AN X ON THE RWY (INDCG IT WAS CLOSED), SO HE ABORTED THE APCH & CIRCLED THE ARPT. IN DUSK CONDS, HE SAW A LIGHT COLORED AREA BESIDE THE CLOSED RWY WHICH APPEARED TO BE A NEW RWY & ELECTED TO LND; HOWEVER, THIS WAS AN AREA OF CONSTRUCTION WITH SOFT DIRT. DRG THE LNDG, THE ACFT NOSED OVER. WHEN THE TRACON CTLR CONTACTED REDBIRD TWR TO ADZ THE PLT HAD DIVERTED, HE WAS REMINDED THAT LANCASTER ARPT WAS NOTAMED AS CLOSED WITH HVY WORK ON THE RWY.
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: 29 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,087 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 1987; 37 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: ABL Abilene TX at 9:00 pm
- Destination: Dallas-Ft Worth TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 3,700 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°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.