Cessna 150J accident near Piedmont, South Carolina, February 11, 1995
On February 11, 1995 at about 9:18 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N607BB, was destroyed in an accident near Piedmont, South Carolina. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inappropriate 'buzzing' that resulted in exceeding the airplane's design stress limits, the failure of the windshield, and the pilot's subsequent loss of control and impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 1995 · about 9:18 pm local time
- Place
- Piedmont, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N607BB · no longer on the register · serial 15070524
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT (59 HOURS TOTAL TIME) WAS OBSERVED TO BE 'BUZZING' A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, SHORTLY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD ENTER A DIVE, THEN PULL STRAIGHT UP, THEN REPEAT. ONE WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IN A DIVE, AND NO RECOVERY WAS MADE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A PARKING LOT IN A NEAR VERTICAL, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. MULTIPLE PIECES OF GREEN PLEXIGLASS WINDSHIELD FRAGMENTS, AND SOME LIGHTWEIGHT ITEMS FROM THE COCKPIT, WERE FOUND WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN BUZZING, WHICH WAS ABOUT 1/2 MILE WEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF IMPACT DAMAGE ON THE PLEXIGLASS FRAGMENTS. THIS EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE PILOT OVERSTRESSED THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE LAST DIVE RECOVERY, RESULTING IN THE WINDSHIELD SHATTERING IN FLIGHT.
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: 59 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 16 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,277 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 10, 1994; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Donaldson Air Services, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 7A1 Greenville SC at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from GSP, 15 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.