Cessna 150L accident near Princeville, Oregon, April 15, 2010
On April 15, 2010 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N6928G, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) start-up) near Princeville, Oregon (Prineville 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 pilot’s failure to ensure that the parking brake was set prior to hand-starting the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 2010 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Princeville, Oregon · Prineville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N6928G · no longer on the register · serial 15072428
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After preflight, the pilot set the parking brake, primed the engine, and got out to hand-start the engine with the propeller. No one was on board to help hold the brakes. He turned the propeller, and the engine started. He entered the cabin, and placed his feet on the rudder pedals. The engine stopped, so he exited the airplane and hand-propped it again. The engine started and air from the propeller blew the entry door shut. The airplane started to move forward and he was not able to reenter the airplane to apply the brakes. The left wing collided with a hangar about 100 feet away, which spun the nose into the hangar. The left wing was pushed back into the fuselage, and both sustained substantial damage. The pilot said that he did not recheck the parking brake after placing his feet on the controls, and thought that the accident might have been prevented if he had gone back to step one of his hand-start checklist.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during standing (engine(s) start-up) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 282 hours in all; 282 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 218 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 30, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,523 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2009; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S39 Princeville OR at 3:30 pm
- Destination: S39 Princeville OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from KRDM, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.