Cessna 150 accident near Duanesburg, New York, February 8, 1990
On February 8, 1990 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N4768X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Duanesburg, New York. 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 FAILURE OF THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TO ADEQUATELY MONITOR THE ACTIONS OF THE STUDENT PILOT AND APPLY CORRECTIVE ACTION IN A TIMELY MANNER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 1990 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Duanesburg, New York · 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
- N4768X · no longer on the register · serial 15064818
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI AND STUDENT PILOT WERE ON A DUAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE CFI REDUCED THE ENGINE POWER FOR FORCED LANDING PRACTICE. THE CFI CALLED FOR A GO AROUND AT 300-400 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO THE CFI, THE STUDENT PILOT LOWERED THE FLAPS AND DID NOT ADD FULL POWER. WHEN THE CFI TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE HE WAS UNABLE TO PREVENT IT FROM STRIKING TREES AND THE GROUND.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,660 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,596 as pilot in command; 133 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,025 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 27, 1989; 14 hours since
- 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 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:25 am
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.