Cessna 150H accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, January 28, 1996
On January 28, 1996 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N50215, was substantially damaged in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee (Downtown Island airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed during a go-around, which resulted in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 1996 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · Downtown Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N50215 · no longer on the register · serial 15069142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After returning from a local training flight, the student pilot attempted a normal landing. During the flare, the aircraft ballooned and then drifted to the left. Subsequently, the left main landing gear struck grass on the left side of the runway, and the student elected to go-around. Sufficient airspeed was not maintained, and the aircraft stalled and collided with the ground. No mechanical difficulties with the aircraft were reported.
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: 57 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,727 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 1995; 55 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: DKX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from TYS, 10 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.