Cessna 150L accident near Palmer Township, Pennsylvania, August 3, 1990
On August 3, 1990 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N18030, was destroyed in an accident near Palmer Township, Pennsylvania. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE STUDENT PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL/SPIN WITH INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE FOR RECOVERY. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE STUDENT PILOT'S POOR JUDGEMENT IN BUZZING A RESIDENTIAL AREA, AND HIS LACK OF AERONAUTICAL EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1990 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer Township, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N18030 · no longer on the register · serial 15073745
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON HIS SECOND SOLO OUT OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. ACCORDING TO HIS FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR HE WAS TO GO TO THE PRACTICE AREA AND WORK ON HIGH ALTITUDE MANEUVERS. INSTEAD, HE WENT TO A RESIDENTIAL AREA WHERE HIS GRANDPARENTS LIVED, AND CIRCLED THEIR HOUSE AND A LOCAL SWIMMING POOL WHERE FRIENDS WERE. ALTITUDE REPORTS RANGED FROM 150 FT TO 300 FT AGL. HE WAS OBSERVED TO PULL UP, THEN FALL OFF ON ONE WING, ENTER A SPIN AND STRIKE A CAR BACKING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY. WITNESSES INDICATED HE HAD TOLD SEVERAL PEOPLE ON THE NIGHT PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT THAT HE WOULD FLY BY THE SWIMMING POOL AND HIS GRANDPARENTS HOUSE THE NEXT DAY.
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: student
- Flight time: 18 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,264 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ABE Allentown PA at 3:49 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from ABE, 8 miles away
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.