Cessna 150 accident near Waverly, Ohio, August 4, 1996
On August 4, 1996 at about 5:50 am local time, a Cessna 150, registered N61049, was destroyed in an accident near Waverly, Ohio (Pike County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with subsequent loss of visual contact and collision with the ground. Darkness and fog were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1996 · about 5:50 am local time
- Place
- Waverly, Ohio · Pike County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N61049 · no longer on the register · serial 15070763
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he was in a left hand traffic pattern for a night landing at Pike County Airport, and he had turned base leg to land on runway 25. He said that he had the rotating beacon in sight and that he had activated the runway lights. The pilot stated, 'The approach was uneventful until I turned base in the descent. I found myself abruptly in very dense fog. I lost all visual reference outside the cockpit. My first reaction was to search for the runway lights, but this was to no avail. I did note that the aircraft instruments indicated that I was in a left bank turn and descending. As I took action to level the wings, the aircraft made contact with the ground.'
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: 178 hours in all; 26 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 91 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,551 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1995; 36 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: PMH Portsmouth OH at 4:30 am
- Destination: I57
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 am from KLC, 73 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.