Cessna 150L accident near Lewiston, New York, August 25, 1985
On August 25, 1985 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N18717, was destroyed in an accident near Lewiston, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 25, 1985 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lewiston, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N18717 · no longer on the register · serial 15074057
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE ACFT CIRCLING AT LOW ALTITUDES UP TO 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. ONE WITNESS STATED THE PLT APPEARED TO BE PERFORMING POWER STALLS AT AN ALT OF APRX 500 FT AGL. THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A SPIN AND DESCENDED TO GROUND IMPACT. NO EVIDENCE OF AN ACFT MALFUNCTION WAS DISCLOSED DURING THE POST ACCIDENT ACFT EXAMINATION.
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: 400 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 62NY Lockport NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft; not recorded at 700 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from IAG, 6 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.