Cessna 150 accident near Edgerton, Ohio, November 11, 1996
On November 11, 1996 at about 11:32 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N5627E, was destroyed in an accident near Edgerton, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 resulting in spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control of the airplane. Factors to this accident were the night conditions and snow.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1996 · about 11:32 pm local time
- Place
- Edgerton, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N5627E · no longer on the register · serial 17127
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A friend flew the accident pilot to an airport to pick up the accident pilot's airplane. Before takeoff, the noninstrument-rated acident pilot had stated that he had not flown at night in over a year. The two pilots then departed in their respective airplanes, at night, to return to their home airport. Within minutes of their take off, the two airplanes encountered a snow squall. The lead pilot radioed the accident pilot and told him to return to the departure airport. After completion of his turn, the lead pilot saw what he thought was an airplane go underneath his airplane. The lead pilot radioed the accident pilot, concerned about his altitude. The lead pilot thought the accident pilot's response was, 'I'm lost, or I've lost it.' The lead pilot did not hear from the accident pilot again. A witness on the ground stated that there were high winds and a heavy snow squall in the area. He observed two airplanes coming from the east. One airplane turned and headed southwest, and the other turned over his neighbor's house, continued the turn, and was approximately 200 feet when it went into a steep angle and crashed. The witness stated that 'the motor was on full power the whole time.'
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: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,510 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 1996; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0G6 Bryan OH at 11:15 pm
- Destination: 4C2 Waterloo IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from FWA, 38 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.