The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB NYC83FFA02 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 150M accident near So. Fallsburgh, New York, August 14, 1983

On August 14, 1983 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704AL, was substantially damaged in an accident near So. Fallsburgh, New York. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 14, 1983 · about 5:45 pm local time
Place
So. Fallsburgh, New York
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
Registration
N704AL · registry record · serial 15078458
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED PERFORMING LOW LEVEL STEEP TURNS, CLIMBS & DIVES OVER A HOTEL. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TOPS OF TREES, NOSED OVER & CRASHED. THE STUDENT PLT RESIDES AT, & IS EMPLOYED BY, THE HOTEL.

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: student
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 92 hours in all; 92 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 27 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 2,706 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 9, 1983; 30 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: Wurtsboro NY
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 20 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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 N704AL the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

2024-01-06DCA24MA063 · accident near Portland, OR · substantial damage · minor injuries

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.