- Date
- April 25, 1991, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kure Beach, NC
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N50738Cessna 150J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910425012509A
- Case key
- 8400
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's poor judgement, while impaired by alcohol, and his misjudgement of altitude/clearance above the water after initiating a low pass.
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 24 year old pilot flew the aircraft at low altitude over the surface of the ocean. A witness reported that its landing gear hit a wave, then the aircraft nosed over. The pilot was rescued, but the passenger drowned. Toxicology testing of the pilot after the accident revealed a blood/alcohol level of 0.165%. The pilot had flown the aircraft without the owner's consent. The wreckage was not recovered from the ocean.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N50738
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15069520
- Airframe hours
- 4,106
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sloan, Landon W.
- Registered owner
- Sloan, Landon W.
- Departed
- NONE · Wilmington, NC
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 125 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ILM, 16 nm away
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 N50738 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.