Cessna 150H accident near Monahans, Texas, December 27, 1994
On December 27, 1994 at about 2:06 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N6417S, was destroyed in an accident near Monahans, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO USE THE CARBURETOR HEAT AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED. A FACTOR WAS THE ICING CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 1994 · about 2:06 pm local time
- Place
- Monahans, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N6417S · no longer on the register · serial 15067217
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB, 200 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. FOLLOWING THE ONSET OF THE ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE THE PILOT DECREASED POWER INITIALLY AND THEN ADDED FULL POWER TO SUSTAIN LEVEL FLIGHT. DURING THE ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLIGHT THE PILOT REALIZED THAT HE WAS LOSING ALTITUDE, SO HE EXECUTED A DESCENDING LEFT TURN IN AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT LOWERED THE FLAPS TO 20 DEGREES DURING THE DESCENT. DURING THE DESCENT THE PILOT HEARD THE STALL WARNING HORN. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AND SLID SIDEWAYS INTO A FENCE SURROUNDING A GAS LINE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. ACCORDING TO THE CARBURETOR ICING PROBABILITY CHART THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING IN SERIOUS ICING CONDITIONS. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 45 DEGREES AND THE DEW POINT WAS 43 DEGREES.
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: 1,168 hours in all; 156 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 964 as pilot in command; 174 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,414 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 26, 1994; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from INK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.