Cessna 150 accident near Willow, Alaska, September 9, 1996
On September 9, 1996 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 150, registered N7909Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willow, Alaska (Willow airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. Factors associated with the accident are the soft terrain and brush in the airstrip overrun area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 1996 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · Willow · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N7909Z · no longer on the register · serial 1500009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported she was practicing touch and go landings at an uncontrolled, gravel airstrip. After the third or fourth touch and go, during the initial climb at an estimated altitude of 300 to 400 feet above the ground, the airplane's engine surged, lost partial power, and then quit. The pilot said she was able to land the airplane on the overrun area at the departure end of the airstrip, but could not stop it from entering low brush and soft terrain, where it nosed over. The pilot said the airplane had ample fuel, and that she had applied the carburetor heat while on downwind. The engine was removed from the airframe and placed on an engine test stand. It started and ran without any observed mechanical anomalies.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 257 hours in all; 144 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 107 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,781 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1995; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,200 ft by 95 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N7909Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.