Cessna 150G accident near Uvalde, Texas, June 28, 1998
On June 28, 1998 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N8445J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Uvalde, Texas (Benson airport). 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 improper use of the flaps which resulted in an inadvertent stall during the initial takeoff climb. Factors were his lack of recent experience in the make and model of airplane and the high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 1998 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Uvalde, Texas · Benson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N8445J · no longer on the register · serial 15066345
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted the ground in an uncontrolled descent following an inadvertent stall by the 600-hour commercial pilot during the initial takeoff climb from the 3,300 foot paved runway. Density altitude was 3,500 feet. The takeoff flap setting was at least 10 degrees of flaps, although the Cessna 150 owner's manual recommends the use of 10 degrees flaps only for takeoff from soft or rough fields with no obstacles ahead. According to the pilot-rated passenger, during the takeoff roll, the pilot 'kept the nose wheel at a high angle,' and the airplane 'lumbered' off the ground. After completing a left turn to avoid obstacles, the pilot added more flaps, and the airplane stalled and impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. Although the pilot reported a gradual loss of engine power, the passenger did not, and an examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any mechanical discrepancies. In the 90 days before the accident, the pilot had flown 64 hours; however, 60 of these hours were in multi-engine airplanes, and only 2 hours were in a Cessna 150.
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: 600 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 520 as pilot in command; 50 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,908 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 31, 1998; 36 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: 2XS8 at 7:00 pm
- Destination: DRT Del Rio TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.