Cessna 150F accident near Mansfield, Missouri, May 9, 1988
On May 9, 1988 at about 1:10 am local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8605S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mansfield, Missouri. 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
- May 9, 1988 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Mansfield, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8605S · no longer on the register · serial 15061905
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A WITNESS SAW THE ACFT FLYING AT LOW ALT AS IT PASSED IN FRONT OF HER CAR AT DUSK IN A NORTHEASTERLY DRCTN. SHE RPRTD THE ACFT CONTD DOWN A VALLEY TOWARD POWER LINES THAT SPANNED AN OPEN FIELD. SHE SAW THE ACFT PULL UP RAPIDLY, BECOME ENTANGLED IN THE POWER LINES, THEN TUMBLE TO THE GROUND IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PLT WAS FND STRAPPED IN HIS SEAT, BUT NO SHOULDER HARNESS WAS INSTALLED IN THE ACFT. RESCUE PERSONNEL TRIED TO SAVE THE PLT'S LIFE BY USING CPR, BUT WERE UNABLE. AN EXAM REVEALED THE ACFT HAD HIT THE UPPER STATIC CABLE OF THE POWERLINE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FND.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MO14 Mansfield MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.