Cessna 150L accident near Ellsworth, Kansas, February 21, 1983
On February 21, 1983 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N18204, was destroyed in an accident near Ellsworth, Kansas. 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 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
- February 21, 1983 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ellsworth, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N18204 · no longer on the register · serial 2071826
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED RED CLOUD, NE FOR A VFR, NO-FLIGHT-PLAN FLIGHT TO KINGMAN, KS. WITNESSES REPORTED AN AIRCRAFT FLYING IN FLIGHT CONDITIONS THAT APPEARED TO DETERIORATE FROM A WEATHER STAND STANDPOINT IN THE DIRECTION OF FLIGHT. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT HE HEARD AN AIRCRAFT PASS NEAR HIM BUT COULD NOT SEE IT, DUE TO DENSE FOG IN THE AREA. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO INDICATIONS OF PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTIONS OR PROBLEMS TO THE POWERPLANT OR ITS COMPONENTS.
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: single-engine land; instructor: gyroplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,021 hours in all; 2,924 in this make and model; 264 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 2,912 as pilot in command; 151 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,889 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 18, 1983; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7V7 Red Cloud at 4:00 pm
- Destination: 9K8 Kingman KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 pm from RSL, 35 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.