Cessna 150L accident near Pearland, Texas, May 31, 1998
On May 31, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N19271, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pearland, Texas (Clover Field Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's selection of the wrong runway/landing area. A factor was the lack of visual runway cues available to the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pearland, Texas · Clover Field Airport · 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
- N19271 · registry record · serial 150-74292
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 400 hour private pilot mistook the freshly mowed area to the east of the runway 14L for the approved landing area known as 'sod runway 14L.' During the touchdown, the airplane impacted a shallow depression running perpendicular to his path and the airplane bounced up in the air. On the second touchdown, the airplane impacted a drainage ditch which collapsed the nose landing gear. According to the FAA inspector that traveled to the accident site, the confines of the 2,800 foot sod runway were difficult to define due to the lack of usage. He added that the grass was all the same tone of green as most of the surrounding area. Additionally, the worn out areas normally found in the vicinity of the touchdown zone, as well as along the runway centerline, were missing. Those visual cues normally help the pilots define the confines of the runway. The pilot's familiarity with sod runway 14L and the airport could not be determined.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 322 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T02 at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14L, 2,800 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N19271 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.