Cessna 150 accident near Geneva, Alabama, July 9, 1985
On July 9, 1985 at about 11:55 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N1734Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Geneva, Alabama (Geneva Muni airport). It was an instructional flight 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
- July 9, 1985 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Geneva, Alabama · Geneva Muni · 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
- N1734Q · no longer on the register · serial 15073034
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AFTER TAKEOFF. INSTRUCTOR SAID FLAPS WOULD NOT RETRACT WHILE IN GO AROUND. ACFT OWNER TOLD FAA INSPECTOR INSTRUCTOR TOLD HIM FLAPS WOULD NOT RETRACT AFTER FINAL LANDING. FUSE WAS THEN REPLACED WITH NO EFFECT. INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT THEN TAXIED TO THE RUNWAY AND MADE FULL FLAP TAKEOFF ON 90'F DAY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,718 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1985; 29 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: 33J Geneva AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.