Cessna 150L accident near Vieques, Puerto Rico, March 30, 1990
On March 30, 1990 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N19599, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vieques, Puerto Rico. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF PACKING AROUND THE CARBURETOR ACCELERATOR PUMP, WHICH HAD JAMMED THROTTLE MOVEMENT AND WOULD NOT ALLOW AN INCREASE IN ENGINE RPM ABOVE IDLE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1990 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Vieques, Puerto Rico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N19599 · registry record · serial 15074520
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI) TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE OVER WATER WHEN THE STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT HE COULD NOT GET THE ENGINE ABOVE IDLE POWER. THE INSTRUCTOR COULD NOT EITHER AND DITCHED THE AIRPLANE. AFTER THE AIRPLANE WAS RECOVERY FROM THE WATER, AN EXAM OF THE CARBURETOR REVEALED THAT THE PACKING AROUND THE ACCELERATOR PUMP HAD JAMMED THE PUMP.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,746 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 23, 1990; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A48B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TJNR Roosevelt Roads PR at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from TJNR, 11 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.