Cessna 150 accident near Butler, Pennsylvania, August 31, 1986
On August 31, 1986 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N3649J, was destroyed in an accident near Butler, Pennsylvania (Butler CO. airport). It was a personal 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 31, 1986 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Butler, Pennsylvania · Butler CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N3649J · no longer on the register · serial 15064949
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A LOSS OF ENG POWER WAS EXPERIENCED SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF AT AN ALT OF APRX 400 FT AGL. THE ACFT CONTACTED WIRES AND DESCENDED UNCONTROLLED TO TERRAIN IMPACT DURING THE FORCED LANDING DESCENT. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT REVEALED APRX 4 OUNCES OF WATER IN THE GASCOLATOR. THE PLT STATED HE FAILED TO DRAIN THE FIREWALL GASCOLATOR DURING PREFLIGHT.
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: 305 hours in all; 305 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 305 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,427 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 1984; 189 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: Butler PA at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.