Cessna 150B accident near Gove, Kansas, January 13, 1986
On January 13, 1986 at about 5:36 am local time, a Cessna 150B, registered N7381X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gove, Kansas (Lungran airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 13, 1986 · about 5:36 am local time
- Place
- Gove, Kansas · Lungran · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150B · all 150Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7381X · no longer on the register · serial 15059481
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF FM THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP NEAR GOVE, KANSAS, THE AIRCRAFT WAS WITNESSED TO DESCEND TOWARDS THE GROUND UNTIL IMPACT. THE WITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT, WHO IS A PLT AND THE OWNER OF THE AIRSTRIP, STATED THAT AFTER THE ACFT CLRD THE AIRSTRIP ENVIRONMENT WHICH WAS WELL LIT, THE ACFT WAS SEEN MAKING A TURN AND DESCENDING. THE WITNESS STATED THAT AFTER YOU LEAVE THE LIGHTED AREA OF THE AIRSTRIP IT BECOMES EXTREMELY DARK AND HORIZON REFERENCES ARE LOST AND HE THOUGHT THAT THE PLT PROBABLY EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF VISUAL CUES AND FLEW THE ACFT INTO THE GROUND. THE WITNESS STATED THAT ON NIGHT DEPARTURES FROM THAT AIRSTRIP, HE HAS HAD TO FLY HIS ACFT SOLELY BY REFERENCE TO INSTRUMENTS, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF VISUAL CUES ON THE HORIZON. NEITHER THE PLT OR WITNESS INDICATED THERE WAS ANY PROBLEM WITH THE ACFT DURING ANY PHASE OF THE FLT. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO REMEMBER ANYTHING AFTER DEPARTING AND CLEARING ALL OBSTACLES NEAR THE AIRSTRIP.
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: 411 hours in all; 387 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 378 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,676 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Gove KS at 5:30 am
- Destination: PITT Pratt KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.