Cessna 150M accident near Asheboro, North Carolina, July 20, 1999
On July 20, 1999 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704ET, was substantially damaged in an accident near Asheboro, North Carolina (Smith Airstrip Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain flying speed that resulted in a stall and the subsequent collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 1999 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Asheboro, North Carolina · Smith Airstrip Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704ET · no longer on the register · serial 15078559
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the private pilot, the commercial pilot was providing instruction and a biennial flight review to determine proficiency in the airplane. The private pilot stated that he performed a soft-field takeoff, climbed above barriers, and at that point the commercial pilot took the controls. He then recalls sensing a lack of climb and verified a slight descent on the vertical situation indicator. The airplane then banked hard to the right and he felt a buffet followed by a nose-low attitude. The airplane collided with two sets of trees rendering him unconscious. He regained consciousness when the airplane collided with the ground. The FAA reported that a soft-field takeoff was performed with a three to five knot tailwind and 10 degrees of flaps from runway 18. The take-off run was begun 300 feet from the approach end of the 3100 foot long runway. After takeoff, the airplane collided with 50-foot trees off the departure end of the runway. No mechanical deficiencies with the airplane were reported by the pilots.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,810 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 4,420 as pilot in command; 1,900 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1999; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 25NC at 3:50 pm
- Destination: 3N8 Concord NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,100 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from INT, 39 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.