- Date
- September 1, 1998, 17:02 local (21:02 UTC)
- Place
- Kill Devil Hill, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N50009Cessna 150H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 22, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980901022499A
- Case key
- 43818
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Failure of the number one cylinder exhaust valve resulting in loss of engine power and a forced landing on unsuitable terrain at which time the aircraft nosed over.
Analysis
The pilot stated he applied full power and was climbing to a higher altitude as he crossed a bay. The engine suddenly made a loud noise and lost power. He turned back to the closest shore and an airport. He was unable to reach the airport and made a forced landing in a sandy area, at which time the aircraft nosed over. Postcrash examination of the engine by an FAA inspector showed the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve head had broken off from the stem resulting in the No. 1 piston breaking and the No. 1 connecting rod bending. The No. 1 exhaust valve had accumulated 1,527 flight hours since new.
Factual narrative
On September 1, 1998, about 1702 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150H, N50009, registered to New Market Airport, Inc., nosed over while making a forced landing following a loss of engine power at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the commercial-rated pilot and one passenger received minor injuries. The flight originated from Hatteras, North Carolina, the same day, about 1615.
The pilot stated he had refueled at Manteo, North Carolina, and then flew to Hatteras, which took about 45 minutes. After being on the ground at Hatteras for about 1 hour, he departed for the return trip to Manteo. As he crossed over Kill Devil Hills, he started to climb to a higher altitude to cross over the bay. About 1/4 of the way across the bay, the engine suddenly snapped and made a thud noise and then began to lose power and vibrate. He turned back toward Kill Devil Hills, and tried to make it to First Flight Airport. The aircraft would not maintain altitude and he made a forced landing in a sandy area, at which time the aircraft nosed over.
Postcrash examination of the engine by an FAA inspector showed that the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve head had broken off and caused the No. 1 piston to break and the No. 1 connecting rod to bend. Damage to the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve prevented metallurgical examination. Logbook records showed the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve had been installed in the cylinder during engine overhaul on April 25, 1979, at aircraft and engine total time 2324.6. The No. 1 and No. 4 cylinders were removed for repair on November 10, 1981. At the time of the accident the aircraft and engine had accumulated 1,527 flight hours since the engine overhaul and 1,236 flight hours since the No. 1 cylinder repair. (See FAA inspector statement and aircraft maintenance records attached to this report)
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N50009
- Reported as
- Cessna 150H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15069006
- Airframe hours
- 3,852
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- New Market Airport, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 4, 1998 · 52 hours before
- Departed
- HSE · Hatteras, NC
- Destination
- MQI · Manteo, 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 361 total · 120 in this make and model · 298 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MQI, 10 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.