Cessna 150 accident near Vincent, Ohio, July 10, 1996
On July 10, 1996 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N16095, was destroyed in an accident near Vincent, Ohio. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the instructor's inadequate supervision by allowing the student and himself to become lost, his inadequate inflight planning/decision by failing to ensure the airplane was safely landed before fuel was exhausted, and his selection of unsuitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 1996 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Vincent, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N16095 · no longer on the register · serial 15073473
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 30-hour student pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI) were on a cross-country flight, when on the 2nd leg of the flight, a loss of engine power occurred followed by a forced landing. When describing the first leg of the flight, the student stated, 'During most of this flight it was obvious to me that we had very little idea of our position. The planned 40 minute flight actually took us a total of one hour and twenty minutes.' According to the student, 'The fuel level was down about 4 inches...' from the refueling port before departure. The student stated that, 'For the most part, we had no idea of our position during the 2nd leg of this flight either.' He went on to say that about one hour and 15 minutes had elapsed after taking off on the planned 40 minute return leg when '...the engine started revving and then sputtering over and over. As we were looking for a place to land, the engine stopped completely at about 1000 (feet).' The student remembered that he pointed out to the CFI a large open field that he judged suitable for an emergency landing site. He indicated that he was shocked and disappointed the CFI seemed instead determined to land at another site that the student could not identify, which was a small county road located next to a creek.' The airplane subsequently struck a tree, a stream bed, and the roadway, where it came to rest.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 335 hours in all; 236 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 255 as pilot in command; 32 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,541 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 5, 1996; 69 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: PHD New Philadelphi OH at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 74D Moundsville WV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from PKB, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.