Cessna 150J accident near Oxford, Connecticut, February 26, 1983
On February 26, 1983 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N60619, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oxford, Connecticut (Waterbury airport). 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
- February 26, 1983 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Oxford, Connecticut · Waterbury
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N60619 · registry record · serial 15070451
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS LAST REFUELED ON 11/28/82 & FLOWN .2 HR TO ON ARPT FOR AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. THE ANNUAL WAS COMPLETED ON 2/19/83. DURING THE ANNUAL, AN ESTIMATED .5 GAL OF FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE ACFT & THE ENG WAS RUN ABOUT .2 HR. WHEN THE PLT PREFLTED THE ACFT FOR THE 1ST FLT AFTER THE ANNUAL, HE NOTED THE GAGES INDICATED APRX 3/4 FULL, BUT HE DID NOT VISUALLY CHECK THE FUEL TANKS. HE ESTIMATED 15 GAL OR 2.5 HRS OF FUEL REMAINING. THE TEMP WAS 25 DEG BEFORE STARTINGA .7 HR FLT TO WHITE PLAINS, NY. AT WHITE PLAINS, WHERE THE ACFT SAT IN THE SUN FOR 4 TO 5 HRS, THE TEMP WAS 34 DEG & THERE WERE STRONG WINDS. BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE PLT DRAINED THE FUEL STRAINER, BUT NOT THE WING SUMPS. NO CONTAMINATION WASNOTED. AFTER 1.4 HRS IN FLT, THE ENG LOST POWER ON FINAL APCH AT OXFORD, CT. DURING A FORCED LANDING, THE ACFT HIT TREESJUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE PLT BELIEVED ICE HAD FROZEN IN THE FUEL SYS BEFORE THE ORIGINAL FLT, THEN THAWED AT WHITE PLAINS. ONLY A DROP OF WATER WAS FOUND IN THE CARB & THE FUEL TANKS WERE FOUND EMPTY WITH NO LEAKS.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 15,500 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 15,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,511 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1983; 1 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: HPN White Plains NY at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from BDR, 18 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.