Cessna 150F accident near Winter Haven, Florida, February 9, 1997
On February 9, 1997 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N6679F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winter Haven, Florida (Gilbert 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 student pilot's inadvertent movement of the mixture control to idle cut-off during the approach to land, which resulted in engine shut-down, and the student's failure to follow emergency procedures for restarting the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 1997 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Winter Haven, Florida · Gilbert
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6679F · no longer on the register · serial 15063279
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on his second solo flight, after having flown a dual flight with his instructor. While downwind on a second approach for landing, the student noted the airplane seemed to be performing differently. After turning final, the student noticed he was 'somewhat low for usual or desired glide path.' After advancing the throttle and getting no response, he realized he would not reach the runway, and decided to land in a nearby lake. A subsequent examination of the airplane showed that the carburetor heat was in the cold position and that the mixture control was in the idle cut-off 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: 25 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,989 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 20, 1996; 99 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: GIF at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,006 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from GIF, 1 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.
Other NTSB records under N6679F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.