Cessna 150F accident near Harlingen, Texas, May 30, 2015
On May 30, 2015 at about 8:07 pm local time, a 1966 Cessna 150F, registered N8126S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Harlingen, Texas (Valley Intl airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2015 · about 8:07 pm local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Harlingen, Texas · Valley Intl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F F, built 1966 · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8126S · registry record · serial 15061726
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, he was practicing touch and go landings on his fifth solo flight. Two landings were completed on a runway with a direct headwind, but on the third landing air traffic control instructed him to land on an adjacent runway with a crosswind. The student pilot reported that he touched down with an appropriate crosswind technique, but during the landing roll the airplane began swerving to the left and he lost directional control. Subsequently, the nose gear collapsed on the runway and the airplane came to rest upright on its nose and right wing. The reported winds at the airport about the time of the accident were from 110 degrees true at 16 knots, and the runway heading was 170 degrees. The student pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and firewall.
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
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 31 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,720 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 3, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 3,720 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HRL Harlingen TX at 6:45 pm
- Destination: HRL Harlingen TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17L, 5,949 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 8:11 pm from KHRL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 8, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 1 – Right Wing (Courtesy of Operator) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 2 – Cowling (Courtesy of Operator) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8126S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,993 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES 8,790 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Valley International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,065 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,945 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA15CA104.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.