Cessna 150 accident near Millbrook, New York, October 31, 1987
On October 31, 1987 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8362G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Millbrook, New York (Sky Acres airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- October 31, 1987 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Millbrook, New York · Sky Acres · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N8362G · no longer on the register · serial 15062462
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT HAD JUST BECOME AIRBORNE WHEN POWER FLUCTUATION OCCURRED. ON THE SECOND POWER LOSS, CARBURETOR HEAT WAS APPLIED BUT THE ENGINE LOST POWER COMPLETELY. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT WAS MAKING A TURN BACK TOWARDS THE AIRPORT WHEN THE WING CONTACTED TREES AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO THE POND OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. POST ACC SAMPLES OF WATER FROM THE CARBURETOR WERE ANALYZED AND FOUND TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE POND WATER.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,725 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,360 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,885 ft by 20 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.