- Date
- March 24, 1988, 16:42 local (22:42 UTC)
- Place
- Muscle Shoals, AL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2738SCessna 150G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880324061819A
- Case key
- 7725
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
The airplane experienced a loss of electrical power during the local, solo flt. The student elected to make a precautionary ldg at Muscle Shoals arpt (MSL) which was the nearest arpt. He made two attempts to land on rwy 36, with a 12-20 kt tailwind: on the first attempt, he was unable to put the airplane on the rwy and he executed a go-around. On the second attempt, he landed; the airplane overran the 4,000 ft rwy and nosed over. The student rptd that he was unable to locate the arpt windsock prior to ldg. The windsock is located at about midfield, according to arpt layout diagrams. Post-crash exam of the airplane by a mechanic revealed that the alternator field wire had broken at the field terminal, which disabled the alternator and subsequently led to a discharged battery. The student had only about 1 hr solo flt experience. He had previously landed at MSL, during a dual-instructional flt about a week before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2738S
- Reported as
- Cessna 150G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15066638
- Airframe hours
- 2,829
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Holt, H.B.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 20, 1988
- Departed
- M22 · Russellville, AL
- Airport
- MSL · Muscle Shoals, runway 36, 4,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 17
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 14 total · 14 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MSL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.