Cessna 150G accident near Post Falls, Idaho, October 23, 1988
On October 23, 1988 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N3691J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Post Falls, Idaho (Otterson airport). It was a personal 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 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1988 · about 9:45 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Post Falls, Idaho · Otterson · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3691J · registry record · serial 15064991
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT DUE TO THE AIRSTRIP CONDS, HE WAS MAKING A LOW, FLAT APCH. HE WAS USING CARB HEAT. WHEN POWER APPLICATION BECAME NECESSARY, JUST BEFORE LANDING, THE ENG DID NOT RESPOND IMMEDIATELY. THE PLT MAINTAINED A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE TO AVOID OBSTACLES NEAR THE APCH END OF THE RWY. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT MUSHED ONTO THE RWY FROM ABOUT 10 FT AGL, COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 270 DEG AT 10 GUSTING 12 KTS. HE BELIEVED THE ACFT MAY HAVE ENCTRD A DOWNDRAFT, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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: 59 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 37 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 1,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.
Other NTSB records under N3691J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3691J on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,993 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- S Bar Ranch Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 288 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,200 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3691J 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA89LA014.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.