- Date
- January 12, 1986, 23:36 local (Jan 13, 1986, 05:36 UTC)
- Place
- Gove, KS
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7381XCessna 150B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860112000659A
- Case key
- 34128
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After takeoff fm the private airstrip near Gove, Kansas, the aircraft was witnessed to descend towards the ground until impact. The witness to the accident, who is a plt and the owner of the airstrip, stated that after the acft clrd the airstrip environment which was well lit, the acft was seen making a turn and descending. The witness stated that after you leave the lighted area of the airstrip it becomes extremely dark and horizon references are lost and he thought that the plt probably experienced a loss of visual cues and flew the acft into the ground. The witness stated that on night departures from that airstrip, he has had to fly his acft solely by reference to instruments, because of the lack of visual cues on the horizon. Neither the plt or witness indicated there was any problem with the acft during any phase of the flt. The plt was unable to remember anything after departing and clearing all obstacles near the airstrip.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7381X
- Reported as
- Cessna 150B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15059481
- Airframe hours
- 4,676
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael Detwiler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 9, 1985
- Departed
- Gove, KS
- Destination
- PITT · Pratt, KS
- Airport
- PVT · Lungran
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 411 total · 387 in this make and model · 378 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7381X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.