Cessna 150K accident near Monticello, Georgia, April 29, 2004
On April 29, 2004 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Cessna 150K, registered N5656G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monticello, Georgia (Monticello Sky Ranch 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 clearance from trees during taxi from landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2004 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Monticello, Georgia · Monticello Sky Ranch Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150K · all 150Ks on the register
- Registration
- N5656G · registry record · serial 15071156
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he had flown around the local area and established a traffic pattern for a landing on runway 32. After rolling approximately 2,600 feet from the approach end of the runway, the pilot slowed down to turn around in the middle of the runway. The pilot stated that airplane got too close to the east edge of the runway surface, and the left wing tip hit some small tree saplings. The airplane yawed to the left and collided with a large seven-foot-tall tree, then came to rest in a ditch that was along the side of the runway. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing was twisted back, and showed buckling of the upper and lower wing skin surfaces. According to the pilot, runway 32 was 3800 feet long and 80 feet wide. According to the Cessna 150 Owner's Manual, principal dimensions, the wing span is 32 feet 8 1/2 inches.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 19,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: January 15, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,218.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 2003; 20 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: GA06 Monticello GA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: GA06 Monticello GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,800 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from KMCN, 36 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.