Cessna 150H accident near Enterprise, Alabama, April 14, 1996
On April 14, 1996 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N23298, was substantially damaged in an accident near Enterprise, Alabama (Enterprise Municipal 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 directional control of the airplane during a go-around. A factor relating to the accident was: improper flare by the pilot during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 14, 1996 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Enterprise, Alabama · Enterprise Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N23298 · registry record · serial 15068857
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing the second solo flight in his training to add an airplane rating to his commercial helicopter certificate. During a touch-and-go landing on runway 23, the airplane ballooned, and the pilot initiated a go-around. As the airplane became airborne, it turned to the right, then collided with a tree about 200 from the side of the runway.
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, military
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 200 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,878 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 1996; 78 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: EDN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,499 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from OZR, 12 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.