Cessna 150M accident near Goldsboro, North Carolina, June 21, 1987
On June 21, 1987 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704MW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goldsboro, North Carolina (Goldsboro-Wayne Munic. airport). It was an instructional 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
- June 21, 1987 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Goldsboro, North Carolina · Goldsboro-Wayne Munic. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704MW · no longer on the register · serial 15078729
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
STUDENT PLT HAD DEP APT FOR PURPOSE OF PRACTICING LDGS. AT ABOUT 400 FT HE NOTED A PWR LOSS AND ROUGH RUNNING ENG. HE REDUCED THE THROTTLE SETTING AND THE ROUGHNESS CONTD. FURTHER REDUCTIONS WERE MADE TO THE POINT WHERE FLIGHT COULD NOT BE MAINTAINED. THE STUDENT SELECTED A CULTIVATED FIELD AND LANDED THE AIRCRAFT. DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP INVERTED. EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE EXHAUST VALVE FOR THE #3 CYLINDER WAS STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION.
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: student
- Flight time: 12 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,398 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 20, 1987; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GWW Goldsboro NC at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from GSB, 7 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.