Cessna 150M accident near Wht Sulfur Sprg, New York, August 12, 2005
On August 12, 2005 at about 6:13 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N45679, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wht Sulfur Sprg, New York (Sullivan County Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout during a precautionary landing, which resulted in collision with a wire and terrain. Factors in the accident were the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning which resulted in his becoming lost/disoriented, and a low fuel state.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2005 · about 6:13 pm local time
- Place
- Wht Sulfur Sprg, New York · Sullivan County Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N45679 · no longer on the register · serial 15077018
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot departed his home airport on a personal flight with an unknown quantity of fuel. He landed and shut down the engine at another airport, did not purchase any fuel, then departed for the return flight. Hours later, witnesses observed the airplane circling about 8 miles from his home airport. The airplane then maneuvered for landing in a park. When asked about the sound of the airplane's engine, one witness stated, "The engine was running fine, it was running steady." He estimated that the power setting was about "mid-range." A second witness was one-quarter mile to the west of the crash site when he noticed the airplane circle overhead. The airplane then descended, and passed over his head "at treetop level" as it flew toward the park in a wings-level attitude. When asked about the sound of the engine, the witness stated, "He was coming in slowly, and the engine was running smoothly, but we knew he was coming in for an emergency landing." On short final approach, the airplane struck a wire, descended sharply, struck the ground, and nosed over. Examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies. Fuel drained from the tanks totaled 4.7 gallons, 3.5 gallons of which were not usable. Examination of the pilot's records revealed that he had been a student pilot for 11 years, with several multi-year breaks in his training, and that he had accumulated 190 total hours of flight experience.
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: student
- Flight time: 190 hours in all; 8 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,759 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2004; 72 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: N30 Honesdale PA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: MSV Monticello NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from MSV, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.