Cessna 150M accident near Missoula, Montana, September 2, 1993
On September 2, 1993 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N3305V, was destroyed in an accident near Missoula, Montana. It was an instructional 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 LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO INADEQUATE PREFLT PLANNING/PREPARATION BY THE PIC. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ROUGH/UNEVEN TERRAIN AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1993 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Missoula, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N3305V · no longer on the register · serial 15076456
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LOST ENGINE POWER WHILE THE STUDENT WAS TURNING CROSSWIND IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT 400 FT AGL. THE INSTRUCTOR INITIATED A FORCED LANDING, AND THE ACFT IMPACTED ROUGH/UNEVEN TERRAIN AND NOSED OVER ON TOUCHDOWN. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO USABLE FUEL IN THE TANKS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 576 as pilot in command; 130 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,081 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 1993; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northstar Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Destination: MSO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from MSO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.