Cessna 150L accident near Islamorada, Florida, July 4, 1983
On July 4, 1983, a Cessna 150L, registered N11539, was destroyed in an accident near Islamorada, Florida. It was a personal 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1983 · cases in 1983
- Place
- Islamorada, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N11539 · registry record · serial 15075501
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENG QUIT AT ABOUT 1,000 FT AGL. ENG RESTART WAS UNSUCCESSFUL & THE ACFT DITCHED. TESTS INDICATED THAT THE FUEL WAS REGULAR AUTOMOTIVE LEADED FUEL WITH A MOTOR OCTANE NUMBER OF 87.3. THE LOGBOOKS SHOWED THAT THE STC FOR USE OF AUTOMOTIVE FUEL HAD NOT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 2,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Tavernier FL at 11:46 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 068° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N11539 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,994 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 988 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,696 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA83FA174.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.