Cessna 150M accident near W. Seneca, New York, July 3, 1988
On July 3, 1988 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N63206, was substantially damaged in an accident near W. Seneca, New York. It was an instructional 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
- July 3, 1988 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- W. Seneca, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63206 · no longer on the register · serial 15077174
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT STATED THAT THE STUDENT PILOT CONDUCTED THE PREFLIGHT AND REPORTED THE FUEL 'DOWN A LITTLE.' THE INSTRUCTOR DID NOT VISUALLY VERIFY THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT RAN OUT OF FUEL AND WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A FIELD FILLED WITH THICK BUSHES THAT WERE 3 TO 8 FEET TALL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 763 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 629 as pilot in command; 155 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,613 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1988; 4,525 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Western N.Y. Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: 3G8 Batavia NY at 3:10 pm
- Destination: 9G0 West Seneca NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N63206 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.