Cessna 150F accident near Banner Elk, North Carolina, August 9, 1984
On August 9, 1984 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N6979F, was destroyed in an accident near Banner Elk, North Carolina (Elk River airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- August 9, 1984 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Banner Elk, North Carolina · Elk River · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6979F · no longer on the register · serial 15263579
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT OBSERVED TO DEPART SHORT STRIP IN HI DENS ALT CONDITIONS, 'WOBBLED INTO THE AIR.' ACFT DID NOT CIRCLE FOR ALTITUDE, BUT HEADED STRAIGHT AHEAD TOWARD RISING TERRAIN 'WINGS ROCKING' AT SLOW SPEED BEFORE RIGHT WING DROPPED AND ACFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN. NO MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE FOUND IN ACFT STRUCTURE, PWER PLANT OR SYSTEMS.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 381 hours in all; 373 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 317 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,194 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 1983; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Banner Elk NC
- Destination: Orlando FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 30, 4,600 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm
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.