Cessna 150J accident near Gainesville, Florida, December 7, 1988
On December 7, 1988 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N60029, was destroyed in an accident near Gainesville, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 1988 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Gainesville, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N60029 · registry record · serial 15070016
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT OBTAINED WEATHER BRIEFING PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AT WHICH TIME HE WAS TOLD THE POSSIBILITY OF IFR CONDITIONS ON ARRIVAL AT DESTINATION EXISTED DUE TO FOG. PLT FAILED TO OBTAIN EN ROUTE WEATHER BRIEFING. NEAR HIS DESTINATION, THE PLT ENCOUNTERED IFR CONDITIONS. PLT EXHAUSTED ALL FUEL AND CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING ENGINE FAILURE.
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: 77 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 53 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,545 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1988; 12 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: 2J4 Metter GA at 10:00 am
- Destination: LAL Lakeland FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from GNV, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N60029 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.