Cessna 150 accident near Springfield, Vermont, August 12, 1986
On August 12, 1986 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N6455G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Springfield, Vermont (Hartness State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 12, 1986 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Springfield, Vermont · Hartness State
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N6455G · no longer on the register · serial 15071955
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE ACFT DURING TAKEOFF RUN. THE ACFT TRAVELED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY INTO TALL GRASS AND NOSED OVER. THE PLT STATED THAT HE MAY HAVE PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL INADVERTENTLY INSTEAD OF THE RUDDER.
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
- Flight time: 308 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 274 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,712 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Springfield VT at 2:00 pm
- Destination: Jamaica VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 5,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.