Cessna 150F accident near Eugene, Oregon, March 9, 1996
On March 9, 1996 at about 11:21 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8920S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eugene, Oregon (Mahlon Sweet Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's inadvertent activation of the brakes and his failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 1996 · about 11:21 pm local time
- Place
- Eugene, Oregon · Mahlon Sweet Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8920S · registry record · serial 15062220
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot, with a total of 14 hours of flight experience, was executing his first solo landing to runway 21 in calm wind conditions. He reported that the aircraft 'turned sharply to the right' during the landing roll and he was unable to regain directional control. The aircraft subsequently departed the runway during which the nose landing gear collapsed and the aircraft nosed over. Wheel skid marks of 283 feet were measured on the runway, and no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft's brakes was found. The student pilot's instructor, who witnessed the accident, postulated that the student inadvertently actuated the brakes during the landing.
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: student
- Flight time: 14 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,556 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 1996; 57 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: EUG at 11:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,221 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:22 pm from EUG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA96LA066.