Cessna 150 accident near Monroe City, Missouri, March 11, 1989
On March 11, 1989, a Cessna 150, registered N8079S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monroe City, Missouri. 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
FUEL CONTAMINATION AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH A MAINTENANCE AD. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S OPERATION OF THE AIRPLANE WITH A KNOWN DEFICIENCY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 1989
- Place
- Monroe City, Missouri · 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
- N8079S · no longer on the register · serial 15061679
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND BUT WAS DISSATISFIED WITH HIS APPROACH SO ELECTED TO GO AROUND. ABOUT 20 TO 30 SECONDS LATER, THE ENGINE BEGAN LOSING POWER AND AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN IN A SOFT MUDDY FIELD, THE ACFT NOSED OVER. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED CONSIDERABLE WATER AND SAND IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE ACFT DID NOT HAVE A STC FOR AUTO FUEL.
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: 223 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 167 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,210 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1989; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HAE Hannibal MO
- Destination: K52
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.