Cessna 150 accident near Carolina Beach, North Carolina, January 12, 1988
On January 12, 1988 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N50738, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carolina Beach, North Carolina. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1988 · about 5:15 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Carolina Beach, North 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
- N50738 · registry record · serial 15069520
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL AIRFRAME DAMAGE WHEN THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND FOLLOWING AN ABORTED T/O. THE INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT THE STUDENT PULLED THE THROTTLE BACK AFTER THE AIRCRAFT BROKE GROUND. THE INSTRUCTOR ATTEMPTED TO RECOVER, BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. THE A/C ROLLED OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF RWY 09 INTO A BUSY HWY. THE A/C EXAMINATION FAILED TO DISCLOSE ANY SYSTEM PROBLEM. WILMINGTON'S TEMP/DEWPOINT WAS 41/31 RESPECTIVELY, INDICATING THAT CARBURETOR ICING WAS LIKELY IF OPERATIONS WERE SUSTAINED WITHOUT THE USE OF CARBURETOR HEAT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,822 hours in all; 2,510 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 10,597 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,697 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 25, 1987; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 005° at 45 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 30°F (-1°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.
Other NTSB records under N50738 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N50738 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,994 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200 329 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 305 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,120 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N50738 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL88LA075.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.