# Accident 20171216023139A: Cessna 150C, Castalia, NC, December 16, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 16, 2017, 14:40 local time
- Place: Castalia, NC
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Rotation
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.0869° N, 78.1381° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0869&lon=-78.1381&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7929Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7929Z-2019-09-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 150C (registry code 2071808, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-200 series (registry code 17020, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 150C
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 8,400 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA18LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18LA048) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20171216023139A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON DECEMBER 16, 2017, AT APPROXIMATELY 14:40 EST, N7929Z, A CESSNA CE-150C, PILOTED BY MR. STEPHEN WARD MERRITT, CRASHED JUST AFTER TAKEOFF FROM A FIELD APPROXIMATELY 10NM ENE OR THE TRIANGLE NORTH EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (KLHZ) IN CASTALIA, NC.  MR. MERRITT SURVIVED THE INITIAL CRASH BUT SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES THE FOLLOWING DAY.

THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE FIELD DUE TO AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING PERFORMED BY A STUDENT PILOT ON THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT ON DECEMBER 15, 2017.  CELL PHONE VIDEO TAKEN BY AN EYE WITNESS SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT PERFORM A LEFT TURNING TAKEOFF AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A STEEP BANK ANGLE TO THE LEFT AND A HIGH ANGLE OF ATTACK WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA18LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18LA048), Dec 16, 2017: Cessna 150 (N7929Z), Castalia, NC, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while performing a turning takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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