Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 150F near Lake Havasu City, AZ — 2025-09-26

Investigation ongoingWPR25LA305
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Date
2025-09-26
Location
Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA
Airport
HII
Aircraft
CESSNA 150F
Registration
N8171S
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On September 26, 2025, at about 0915 mountain standard time, a Cessna 150F, N8171S, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The flight instructor and student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The flight instructor reported he and the student pilot were relocating the recently purchased airplane from Marana Regional Airport (AVQ), Marana, Arizona to Boulder City Municipal Airport (BVU), Boulder City, Nevada with a planned fuel stop in Lake Havasu City Airport (HII), Lake Havasu, City, Arizona. He added that the night prior to the accident, the fuel tanks were topped off with fuel. Prior to departure, a preflight inspection was performed, which included a visual inspection of the fuel in the tanks and sumping of the tanks. No abnormalities were noted. During the flight, about 15 miles southeast of HII, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. After performing the emergency checklists, he was unable to restore engine power. The flight instructor stated that they were unable to maintain altitude and elected to initiate a forced landing to a highway. Due to the high amount of traffic on the highway, the flight instructor diverted to an open area nearby which was used for remote control airplane operations. During the approach to the field, the airplane overflew their intended landing area, struck a dirt berm and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Loss of engine power (total) · Enroute-cruise
  • Engine Failure Enroute
View NTSB preliminary report

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