Cessna 150L accident near Greenwich, Connecticut, December 12, 1988
On December 12, 1988 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N6538G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenwich, Connecticut. It was a business 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
TREES DURING AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING AFTER THE AIRCRAFT EXPERERIENCED A POWER LOSS FUE TO FUEL STARVATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 12, 1988 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Greenwich, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N6538G · no longer on the register · serial 15072038
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A TRAFFIC WATCH FLIGHT WHEN IT EXPERIENCED A POWER LOSS DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING WAS MADE ON A GOLF COURSE AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK TREES. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION FAILED TO FIND ANY EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAKAGE. DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN REFUELED; HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO VERIFICATION THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN TOPPED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. THE FAA REPORTED THAT THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED EMPTY AND THE PILOT HAD INDICATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGES STARTED TO DROP SOONER THAN EXPECTED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 285 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 232 as pilot in command; 48 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Brooksfield Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: BDR Stratford CT at 8:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°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.