Cessna 150M accident near Fort Worth, Texas, November 19, 1988
On November 19, 1988, a Cessna 150M, registered N63537, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE TO THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND THE STUDENT PILOT TO OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, AND HE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S FAILURE TO OBSERVE THE DETERIORATING WEATHER CONDITIONS IN SUFFICIENT TIME RETURN TO THE AIRPORT PRIOR TO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITONS, PRECLUDING A SAFE ARRIVAL BACK AT THE AIRPORT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1988
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63537 · no longer on the register · serial 15077381
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR DEPARTED FOR A ONE HOUR LOCAL TRAINING FLIGHT. DURING THE HOUR THE WEATHER DETERIORATED TO AN INDEFINITE THREE HUNDRED FEET, SKY OBSCURED WITH VISIBILITY TWO MILES IN FOG. NO WEATHER BRIEFING WAS OBTAINED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING LOW AND SLOW OVER A HIGHWAY JUST PRIOR TO COLLIDING WITH THE UPPER STATIC LINE OF A POWER LINE AND CRASHING INVERTED ONTO THE WEST BOUND TWO LANES OF A HIGHWAY. NO FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE FOUND.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 368 hours in all; 252 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 104 in the last 30 days; 327 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,088 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 1988; 60 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: FTW Fort Worth TX at 11:37 pm
- Destination: FTW
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.