Cessna 150 accident near Poestenkill, New York, December 6, 1986
On December 6, 1986 at about 3:07 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N50714, was substantially damaged in an accident near Poestenkill, New York (Rensselaer airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- December 6, 1986 · about 3:07 pm local time
- Place
- Poestenkill, New York · Rensselaer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N50714 · no longer on the register · serial 15069501
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TOUCHED DOWN HARD, ADDED POWER FOR A GO AROUND. SLUGGISH ENGINE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO CLEAR TREES AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE PLT AFTER THE ACC SAID THAT AFTER CUTTING OFF THE CARB HEAD THE ENG SEEMED SLUGGISH. ONE WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE PLT STATED ON THE WAY TO THE HOSP THAT HE REACHED FOR THE THROTTLE AND CUT THE 'GAS OFF' BY MISTAKE. NO MALFUNCTIONS OF THE ENG WERE FOUND FOUND AFTER THE ACC.
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 sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 762 hours in all; 161 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 585 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,815 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 29, 1986; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Schodack Aviation Assoc.,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 5B7 Poestenkill NY at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,800 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.