Cessna 150H accident near Marksville, Louisiana, December 15, 1998
On December 15, 1998 at about 11:32 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N22038, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marksville, Louisiana (Marksville Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to visually identify the hazardous condition of the runway. Factors were the dusk light condition and the pilot's failure to obtain NOTAMs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 1998 · about 11:32 pm local time
- Place
- Marksville, Louisiana · Marksville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N22038 · no longer on the register · serial 15068024
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing on a runway that was undergoing reconstruction, the airplane impacted a dirt bank and nosed over. There was a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) in effect stating that the airport was closed. When the private pilot received a weather briefing for the cross-country flight, he was not given the NOTAM, since he did not tell the briefer he intended to pass over, or stop at the airport. The accident occurred at dusk, 24 minutes after sunset. The runway lights and the airport's rotating beacon were turned off, and the runway threshold was marked with an 'X'. Construction workers had removed the old asphalt runway surface and dumped truckloads of dirt along the runway centerline. A witness observed the airplane on a 'normal landing approach' to runway 22. The witness continued to watch the airplane until it disappeared from view behind a tree line. He then saw the airplane's 'tail section go up in the air.' The witness drove to the airport and found the airplane lying inverted on top of a dirt bank. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical discrepancies that would have prevented normal operation.
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: 1,011 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,930 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 1998; 52 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: LA24 Leesville LA at 10:40 pm
- Destination: LA26
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,802 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.