Cessna 150M accident near Bellingham, Washington, June 15, 1999
On June 15, 1999 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N9349U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bellingham, Washington (Bellingham Intl. airport). 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
Compensation for wind conditions was inadequate. Gusting wind conditions was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 1999 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Bellingham, Washington · Bellingham Intl. · 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
- N9349U · no longer on the register · serial 15078298
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that while on final approach and approximately 30 feet above the runway, with the student pilot at the controls, a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the right side of the runway edge. The flight instructor took over control of the airplane and initiated a go-around, when another gust of wind hit the airplane. The right wing tipped up and the left wing contacted the ground. The right wing then dipped down and also contacted the ground. The airplane then nosed down and came to rest next to the runway. The flight instructor reported that later he remembered that while on final approach, the wind sock on the south end of the runway was indicating the wind from 170 degrees to 190 degrees, with a wind velocity of 18 knots, gusting to 25 knots. The wind sock on the approach end however, was limp.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 899 hours in all; 316 in this make and model; 161 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 836 as pilot in command; 401 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,041 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 31, 1999; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Alpha Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: BLI at 6:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 6,751 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from BLI
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.