Cessna 150M accident near Alvord, Texas, July 31, 1990
On July 31, 1990 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704FS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alvord, Texas. 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 FAILURE OF THE ENGINE TO DEVELOP FULL RATED POWER FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1990 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Alvord, Texas · 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
- N704FS · registry record · serial 15078581
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APPROX 200 FEET AGL, UPON COMPLETION OF A PRACTICE FORCED LANDING PROCEDURE, CARBURETOR HEAT WAS DE-SELECTED, FULL THROTTLE APPLIED AND THE FLAP SETTING REDUCED FROM 40 DEG TO 20 DEG. ACCORDING TO THE CFI, THE ENGINE DID NOT DEVELOP FULL POWER WITH THE RPM OBSERVED TO BE 2100 VICE 2700 RPM AT RATED POWER. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED ON THE SAME HEADING, CROSSED OVER A WOODED AREA BARELY CLEARING THE TREES, AND SETTLED IN A NOSE-HIGH, CONTROLLED ATTITUDE, INTO THE TREES FOLLOWED BY GROUND CONTACT. EXAMINATION AT THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THAT THE CARBURETOR HEAT VALVE OPERATED NORMALLY, THE ENGINE SPARK PLUGS AND EXHAUST STACKS WERE FREE FROM MAJOR DEPOSITS AND THAT THE OUTBOARD TIPS OF THE PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION. A FOUR INCH DIAMETER OAK LIMB HAD BEEN SLASHED BY THE PROPELLER.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 850 hours in all; 790 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command; 565 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,971 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 17, 1990; 109 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8F7 Decatur TX
- Destination: 0F2 Bowie TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
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.