Cessna 150 accident near Mountain Home, Idaho, February 12, 1987
On February 12, 1987 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N50724, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mountain Home, 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
- February 12, 1987 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mountain Home, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N50724 · no longer on the register · serial 15069510
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT LOST PWR ON INIT CLIMB FROM TAKEOFF, NECESSITATING A FORCED LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD. ACFT NOSED OVER INVERTED AFTER TOUCHDOWN IN SOFT TERRAIN. INVESTIGATION REVEALED #3 CYLINDER ROCKER ARM BOSSES HAD BROKEN. INSPECTION SHOWED, DURING PREVIOUS REPAIR, ATTEMPT TO STAKE BUSHINGS WITH CENTER PUNCH TOOL. FRACTURES ORIGINATED AT THESE TOOL MARKS.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 327 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 285 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,225 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 25, 1986; 126 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U76 Mountain Home ID at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from MUO, 8 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.