Cessna 150H accident near Mt. Gilead, Ohio, October 31, 1992
On October 31, 1992 at about 10:53 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N6402S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt. Gilead, Ohio. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT INCAPACITATION DUE TO CARBON MONOXIDE GAS AS A RESULT OF CRACKS IN THE HEATER MUFFLER. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PROGRESSIVE DETERIORATION OF THE LEFT HEATER MUFFLER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1992 · about 10:53 pm local time
- Place
- Mt. Gilead, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N6402S · no longer on the register · serial 15067202
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS IN RADIO CONTACT WITH THE CONTROL TOWER AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT AND IN A DESCENT FROM FIVE THOUSAND FEET TO TWO THOUSAND FEET IN PREPARATION FOR LANDING. SEVEN MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED, ON RADAR, FLYING AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT WHEN RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. GROUND WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL AT A LOW ALTITUDE OVER A WOODED AREA WHEN THE LEFT WING STRUCK A TREE. A TOXICOLOGY ON THE PILOT REVEALED CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD. EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT HEATER/EXHAUST MUFFLER, THE SOURCE OF HEAT TO THE CABIN, SHOWED IT HAD DETERIORATED AND HAD THREE CRACKS. TWO CRACKS WHERE FOUND ON THE MUFFLER TUBE AND ONE ON THE FORWARD END PLATE. THE THREE CRACKS WERE INTERGRANULAR AND SHOWED SOME OXIDATION.
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: 39 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,108 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 8, 1992; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I78 Marysville OH at 8:45 pm
- Destination: I78
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°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.