Cessna 150 accident near Macomb, Missouri, August 9, 1988
On August 9, 1988 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N4503U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Macomb, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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
- August 9, 1988 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Macomb, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N4503U · no longer on the register · serial 15060503
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLOWN 235 NAUTICAL MILES THE PREVIOUS DAY WITHOUT RE-FUELING. THE PIC STATED HE THOUGHT THAT HE COULD REACH HIS NEXT FUEL STOP WITHOUT REFUELING AT THE DEPARTURE ARPT. THE PIC STATED HE FLEW THE ACFT IN THAT GEN DIRCTN FOR ABT 1 HOUR. AT THE END OF THE HR, THE PIC STATED THAT THE ENG QUIT AND A LNDG WAS MADE TO AN OPEN FIELD. THE PIC FURTHER STATED HE DID NOT VISUALLY CHK THE FUEL TANKS FOR QUANTITY BEFORE THE FLIGHT, ASSUMING THE 60 NM FLT WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL WITH THE QUANTITY HE THOUGHT WAS AVAILABLE.
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: 900 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 880 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,160 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H17 Buffalo MO at 2:30 pm
- Destination: MO19 Mountain Grove MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 pm from SGF, 35 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.
Other NTSB records under N4503U 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.