Cessna 150K accident near Richland, Washington, August 26, 2004
On August 26, 2004 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150K, registered N6141G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Richland, Washington (Richland airport). It was an instructional 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
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during landing. Wind gusts, inadequate compensation for wind conditions, and an airport marker sign were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2004 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Richland, Washington · Richland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150K · all 150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N6141G · no longer on the register · serial 15071641
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he had completed practicing maneuvers in the practice area and was returning to the airport for a full stop landing. The student stated that he set-up for a soft field landing to runway 19. During the flare and about two to three feet above the runway, a gust of wind caught the airplane which yawed it to the right approximately 45 to 60 degrees. The airplane then touched down and started "skipping" as it traveled down the runway. The student pilot stated that, "I had not reacted to correct for the exaggerated yaw which is how the airplane probably bounced as it did." The right wingtip then contacted the surface and the pilot applied "a little power for the throttle and tried to gain some altitude." The pilot then heard the tail tie-down ring scrape the runway. The airplane continued to the right and the left horizontal stabilizer collided with a runway marker sign. The aircraft rolled about 100 feet before the student was able to stop the aircraft in the dirt off the right side of the runway.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 132 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 33 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,150 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 15, 2004; 40 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: RLD Richland WA at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,009 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PSC, 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.