Cessna 150L accident near Guntersville, Alabama, January 18, 1998
On January 18, 1998, a Cessna 150L, registered N7443G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Guntersville, Alabama (Guntersville Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional shut down of the engine in flight that resulted in the total loss of engine power. A factor was the failure of both magnetos.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 1998
- Place
- Guntersville, Alabama · Guntersville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7443G · no longer on the register · serial 150-74657
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The passenger stated that he was in the left front seat and reported that he was flying the airplane when the pilot shut the engine down as a simulated engine out. The airplane was about a mile south of the airport when the practice emergency was attempted. After the total loss of engine power, the pilot attempted to restart the engine. When the engine failed to restart, the pilot took the flight controls and elected to ditch the airplane in the river. The left magneto was removed from the engine assembly and bench checked at an approved FAA repair station. The bench check disclosed that the left magneto produced ignition sparks from each ignition lead. After several failed attempts to start the engine, the left magneto was removed again. The second examination disclosed that the secondary side of the magneto coil was inoperative. The magneto coil was replaced with a serviceable component. The engine operated normally after the left magneto was installed. Examination of the right magneto disclosed that the secondary coil was also inoperative.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 370 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days; 260 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,002 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8AO Albertsville AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 3,360 ft by 95 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 am from HSV, 54 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.