Cessna A150K accident near West Memphis, Arkansas, February 7, 1987
On February 7, 1987 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna A150K, registered N8459M, was destroyed in an accident near West Memphis, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- February 7, 1987 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- West Memphis, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150K · all A150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N8459M · no longer on the register · serial A15000159
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS MAKING LOW PASSES OVER THE EDGE OF A TRAILER PARK AND AT THE END OF EACH PASS, IT WOULD CLIMB ALMOST STRAIGHT UP AND THEN MAKE A STEEP BANKED TURN AND DIVE FOR ANOTHER PASS. AT THE END OF THE LAST PULLUP, THE AIRPLANE MADE AN ABRUPT STEEP TURN AND DESCENDED INTO 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: 188 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 145 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,536 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 9, 1986; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from MEM, 14 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.