Cessna 150G accident near Duncanville, Alabama, July 17, 2002
On July 17, 2002 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N3400J, was destroyed in an accident near Duncanville, Alabama (Tuscaloosa Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed , which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent collision with the ground. A contributing factor was low level flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2002 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- Duncanville, Alabama · Tuscaloosa Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3400J · no longer on the register · serial 15066100
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness stated that while traveling westward on U.S. Highway 82, en route to the airport, he saw the Cessna 150, also westbound, flying parallel to the highway on his left side. He estimated the airplane's altitude as 50 to 100 feet above ground level (AGL), in level flight. The airplane was about one-quarter of a mile ahead of the car when he saw it climb steeply, and then turned left and descended straight down disappearing behind some trees. Examination of the airplane found that the leading edges of both wings were crushed aft at approximately a 55-degree nose down angle relative to level flight. Both wings were bulged outward (ballooned) in the area of the fuel tanks. Examination of the airframe and engine failed to disclose any pre-existing structural or mechanical malfunctions
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,667 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 7,667 as pilot in command; 1,373 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 24, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,503 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 2002; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4R4 Fairhope AL at 11:30 am
- Destination: TCL Tuscaloosa AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from TCL, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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.