Cessna 150F accident near Branchville, Alabama, April 11, 1987
On April 11, 1987 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8960S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Branchville, Alabama (Pickett'S Flyin Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- April 11, 1987 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Branchville, Alabama · Pickett'S Flyin Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8960S · no longer on the register · serial 15062260
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT APPEARED TO BE 'HOT' ON FINAL APPROACH DUE TO A TAILWIND, WHILE LDG AT THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND TO AVOID 50-60 FT TREES AT THE FAR END OF THE RWY AND MADE A CLIMBING RIGHT TURN. THE STALL WARNING SYSTEM ACTIVATED DURING THE CLIMBING TURN. THE AIRSTRIP OWNER WHO WITNESSED THE GO-AROUND REPORTED THAT THE TURN WAS STEEP AND NOSE HIGH, AND OCCURRED ABOUT HALF-WAY DOWN THE RWY. THE ACFT PITCHED NOSE-DOWN AFTER CLEARING SOME HIGH TREES TO THE SIDE OF THE RWY, AND DISAPPEARED FROM HIS SIGHT. THE ACFT LEFT WING SUBSEQUENTLY STRUCK A LARGE DEAD TREE IN A PASTURE AND THE ACFT FELL TO THE GROUND UPRIGHT. THE AIRSTRIP OWNER REPORTED THAT THE WINDS AT THE TIME WERE CALM. THE WIND 18 NM AWAY AT BHM WAS REPORTED TO BE FROM 310 DEGREES AT 4 KTS AT 1155 CDT.
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: 240 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 193 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,984 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAD Gadsden AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,754 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from BHM, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.