Cessna 150F accident near Pawnee City, Nebraska, January 2, 1985
On January 2, 1985 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N7138F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pawnee City, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 1985 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pawnee City, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7138F · no longer on the register · serial 15063738
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT AND PASSENGER DEPARTED TO FLY OVER A GROUP OF FRIENDS WHO WERE ON A COYOTE HUNT. WITNESS STATED THE ACFT APPROACHED FROM THE NE APRX 300 FT AGL. ACFT THEN MADE A LEFT CRCLING TURN AND WAS DESCRIBED AS FLYING VERY SLOW. AFTER COMPLETING APRX 360 DEGREES OF TURN, THE ACFT'S SPEED REDUCED AND IT ROLLED FROM SIDE TO SIDE BEFORE CONTACTING THE GROUND.
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: 492 hours in all; 202 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 476 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,522 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 13, 1984; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NE21 Tecumseh NE at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from LKN, 45 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 N7138F 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.