Cessna 150M accident near Sevierville, Tennessee, September 30, 2004
On September 30, 2004 at about 11:10 am local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N45667, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sevierville, Tennessee (Seymour Airpark 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an attempted takeoff, which resulted in the on ground collision with high vegetation and a subsequent nose over. Factors were a foggy windshield and windshield defrost not activated.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2004 · about 11:10 am local time
- Place
- Sevierville, Tennessee · Seymour Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N45667 · no longer on the register · serial 15077014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated at on take-off roll and at fifty knots, the windshield and side glass fogged up to the point of zero visibility. He stated that he sensed that the aircraft was drifting to the left, at which point he unsuccessfully attempted to correct the path to the right. He stated that he retarded the throttle and began to shut down the plane. The airplane's left wing collided with tall brush and bushes, nosed over in soft mud, and came to rest inverted. Post-accident examination of the accident scene revealed tire marks beginning at the approach end of runway 7, veering left off the runway for approximately 975 feet into brush and soft mud. Other marks were observed in the soft mud leading up to the inverted airplane. One blade of the propeller was buried in the mud. Examination of the airplane revealed the left outboard half of the wing was crushed aft and the right wingtip was separated. The vertical stabilizer was displaced to the right. The nearest weather reporting facility, McGhee-Tyson Airport, Knoxville, Tennessee, 10 nautical miles southwest of Seymour Airpark, Sevierville, Tennessee, at 0653, reported winds as 050 degrees at four knots, visibility of four statute miles in mist, and temperature-dew point of 12 degrees Celsius. Examination of the pilot logbooks revealed that an endorsement for repeated solo flights less than 25 nautical miles was not entered by a certified flight instructor. There were no logbook entry remarks of flight training to or from Seymour Airpark, or take-offs or landing made at Seymour Airpark entered or signed of by a certified flight instructor.
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: student
- Flight time: 129 hours in all; 118 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,146 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 5, 2004; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TN20 Sevierville TN at 11:09 am
- Destination: TN98 Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 2,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 050° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KTYS, 10 miles away
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.
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.
