Cessna 150L accident near Cheraw, South Carolina, May 12, 1983
On May 12, 1983 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N21991, was destroyed in an accident near Cheraw, South Carolina (Cheraw airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 1983 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Cheraw, South Carolina · Cheraw · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N21991 · no longer on the register · serial 15074595
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT WAS ON HIS 5TH DUAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLT & WAS PRACTICING LANDINGS WITH HIS INSTRUCTOR. THEY HAD COMPLETED 3 OR 4 LANDINGS & WERE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR ANOTHER WHEN AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM CLOUD MOVED OVER THE ARPT. A PLT/WITNESS STATED THAT A HI WIND DEVELOPED & WAS BLOWING DOWN RWY 25, ON WHICH THE AIRCREW WERE PRACTICING LANDINGS. AS THE ACFT WAS ROCKED BY THE WIND, THE AIRCREW APPLIED POWER & INITIATED A GO-AROUND. REPORTEDLY, AIRCREW APPLIED FULL POWER, BUT THE ACFT COULD NOT GAIN ALT & SKIMMED ALONG THE RWY AT AN ESTIMATED 30 TO 50 FT. ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN THE RWY, IT ENTERED A SHALLOW LEFT TURN, THEN FELL NOSE DOWN, CRASHED & BURNED. NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE FLAP JACKSCREW WAS FOUND IN A POSITION THAT CORRESPONDED TO ABOUT 20 DEG OF FLAPS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,440 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 2, 1982; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,400 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 35 knots, gusting 50
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.