Cessna 150 accident near Manhattan, Kansas, February 26, 1988
On February 26, 1988 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8850G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manhattan, Kansas (Manhattan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 26, 1988 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Manhattan, Kansas · Manhattan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N8850G · registry record · serial 15062650
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE PRACTICING SHORT FIELD LDGS AT NIGHT, THE PILOT STATED HE FELT HE STALLED ON FINAL ABOUT 15 TO 20 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED THREE TIMES, STRIKING EACH WING ON THE FIRST TWO TOUCHDOWNS AND COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY ON THE LAST TOUCHDOWN.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 230 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 135 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,595 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 17, 1987; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Spicer Aircraft
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from MHK
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.