Cessna 150J accident near Warwick, New York, March 24, 1996
On March 24, 1996 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N5587G, was destroyed in an accident near Warwick, New York (Warwick Municipal airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's mismanagement of the fuel supply, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A related factor was the pilot's lack of recent experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1996 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Warwick, New York · Warwick Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N5587G · no longer on the register · serial 15071087
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner and a certified flight instructor (CFI) flew a 1 hour training flight and terminated at another airport. The CFI deplaned to fly with another pilot, while the accident pilot departed for her home field, about 14 miles to the south. About 40 minutes later, witnesses observed the airplane about 100 feet above the ground and heard the engine sputtering. The airplane crashed in a wooded area, about 1 mile southwest of the destination airport. Two large fields were located on both sides of the wooded area. Examination of the fuselage revealed no preimpact failure of the airframe, and the flaps were found retracted. The engine was test run satisfactorily. The wing fuel tanks were not ruptured; the right tank contained 1.25 gallons; and the left tank contained .58 gallons of fuel. The owner's manual listed 3.5 gallons of fuel unusable. The pilot had not flown in 4 months, and about 47 months had elapsed since her last biennial flight review. Also, 15 months had elapsed since the airplane's last annual inspection. The CFI did not review the pilot's or airplane's log books, or verify fuel quantity, prior to the first flight.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 234 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 134 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,889 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 1994; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGJ Montgomery NY at 7:30 pm
- Destination: N72 NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.