Cessna 150F accident near Pocatello, Idaho, August 11, 1985
On August 11, 1985 at about 3:28 am local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8339G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pocatello, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 1985 · about 3:28 am local time
- Place
- Pocatello, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8339G · registry record · serial 15062439
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
UPON ARRIVAL IN THE VICINITY OF HIS DESTINATION THE PLT COMMENCED A REDUCED PWR DESCENT WHILE IN CONDITIONS WHICH WERE CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICEING. DURING THE DESCENT THE PLT APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT WITH A RESULTANT DROP IN RPM AND, APPREHENSIVE OF THIS CONDITION, RETURNED THE CARBURETOR HEAT TO 'OFF'. A TOTAL PWR LOSS FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE PLT THEN MANEUVERED THE ACFT TO A FORCED LANDING IN AN AGRICULTURAL FLD UNDER CONDITIONS OF DARKNESS. DURING THE APCH THE ACFT STRUCK A FENCE POST AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. THE PLT SUBSEQUENTLY REPORTED THAT HE BELIEVED THAT CARBURETOR HEAT WAS ONLY NECESSARY DURING COLD WEATHER OPERATIONS.
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
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 127 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,094 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 1984; 11 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: BTF Bountiful UT at 2:02 am
- Destination: PIH Pocatello ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 am from PIH, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.