Cessna 150F accident near Poteau, Oklahoma, October 1, 1999
On October 1, 1999 at about 3:40 am local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8092S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Poteau, Oklahoma (Robert S. Kerr airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The instructor pilot's inadequate in-flight decision making, which resulted in the continued flight with a disabled generator and subsequent total failure of the electrical system. Factors were the installation of the inadequate generator fuse by unknown person(s), the instructor's failure to refuel the airplane prior to the flight, and the dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 1999 · about 3:40 am local time
- Place
- Poteau, Oklahoma · Robert S. Kerr · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8092S · registry record · serial 15061692
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot planned the night cross-country flight; however, the flight instructor performed the fuel calculations by using a 4-hour fuel endurance minus the student's flight time to the origination airport. The instructor determined that there was enough fuel for the flight and elected not to have the fuel tanks filled prior to the flight. During the first leg of the flight, the generator warning light illuminated. The student indicated to the instructor that he thought it was an indication problem and not a generator problem. The instructor and student elected to continue the flight, performing touch-and-go landings at two separate airports. On the third/last leg of the flight, after the instructor noticed the fuel gauges reading empty in one fuel tank and 1/4 full in the other, the student informed the instructor that his airplane only had a 3.5-hour fuel endurance. During the last leg of the flight, the electrical system failed. Due to the low fuel status, the instructor did not divert to an airport with automatic runway lighting, but continued to the original destination airport, which had a pilot controlled runway light system. The instructor attempted two approaches with no runway or aircraft lighting. On the second approach, the airplane impacted the ground and a ditch. A work order included in the maintenance records indicated that the generator 'fuses' were 'replaced' 2.5 months prior to the accident. Examination of the electrical system revealed that a 30-amp fuse was installed in the generator fuse holder, and the fuse had 'blown.' The aircraft's electrical system required a 35-amp generator fuse.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,178 hours in all; 744 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 1,013 as pilot in command; 637 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,512 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1998; 138 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: F10 Henryetta OK at 3:00 am
- Destination: RKR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,006 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 am from FSM, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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 N8092S 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.