Cessna 150 accident near Columbia, South Carolina, November 5, 1983
On November 5, 1983 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N3055V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbia, South Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- November 5, 1983 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Columbia, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N3055V · no longer on the register · serial 15076372
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO TAKE PICTURES OVER LAKE MURRAY. THE PLT STATED THAT AFTER TAKING OFF, HE PROCEEDED OVER THE LAKE, THEN DESCENDED & VARIED HIS ALTITUDE BETWEEN 400 & 800 FT MSL, SO THE PASSENGER COULD TAKE PICTURES. SHORTLY AFTER ROUNDING A BEND IN THE LAKE, THE PLT FELT SOMETHING HIT THE ACFT, BUT HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS. HE CLIMBED TO 1500 FT & PROCEEDED BACK TO THE ARPT WHERE HE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGE. AN INSPECTION OF THE ACFT REVEALED WIRE MARKS ON THE PROPELLER SPINNER & 4 INCHES OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER & RUDDER WERE CUT OFF. REPORTEDLY, THE ELEVATION OF THE LAKE WAS 360 FT.
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: 150 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,360 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 3, 1983; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CUB Columbia SC at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.