Cessna 150L accident near Jacksonville, North Carolina, March 23, 1983
On March 23, 1983 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N7538G, was destroyed in an accident near Jacksonville, North Carolina (Sky Manor airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- March 23, 1983 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, North Carolina · Sky Manor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7538G · no longer on the register · serial 15074696
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT STALLED, SPUN AND COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING AN ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND. THE PILOT HAD FLOWN LOCALLY FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR DOING STALLS AND TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED FOLLOWING A LANDING THAT WAS PLANNED AS A FULL STOP LANDING. THE LANDING WAS FAST AND THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN AFTER USING ABOUT ONE THIRD OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT WAS HOLDING THE NOSE UP TO DISSIPATE SPEED. WITH ABOUT 1000 FEET OF RUNWAY LEFT THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN AND THE PILOT ABORTED THE LANDING. FULL POWER WAS APPLIED AND THE FLAPS WERE RAISED. THE ACFT CLEARED OBSTACLES AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY BUT LOST AIRSPEED IN DOING SO AND SPUN RIGHT INTO TREES AND THE GROUND.
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: military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 568 hours in all; 60 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,963 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 9, 1982; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 3,610 ft by 85 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from EWN, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.