Cessna 150M accident near Madisonville, Texas, January 8, 1999
On January 8, 1999 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66464, was substantially damaged in an accident near Madisonville, Texas (Madisonville Municipal airport). It was a personal 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 loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as result of the pilot's failure to refuel. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1999 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Madisonville, Texas · Madisonville Municipal · 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
- N66464 · no longer on the register · serial 150-76066
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The recently certificated private pilot reported that the engine lost power while on final approach to an airport, 3 hours after takeoff for a local flight. The pilot and his father performed a 25 minute flight in the local area in the same airplane earlier that morning. They planned for a 1.5 hour flight in the afternoon. He reported checking the fuel quantity with a stick and estimated to have enough fuel for a 2.5 to 3.0 hour flight. The pilot stated that he encountered strong winds while in the local area that drifted him further east than he anticipated. The airplane came to rest on the shoulder of a county road, approximately 850 feet from the landing threshold for runway 36. No evidence of fuel was found at the accident site.
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: 54 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 21 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: CFD Bryan TX at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from CLL, 22 miles away
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.