Cessna 150M accident near So. Charleston, West Virginia, February 17, 1988
On February 17, 1988 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N9399U, was destroyed in an accident near So. Charleston, West Virginia (Mallory airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1988 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- So. Charleston, West Virginia · Mallory · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9399U · no longer on the register · serial 15078347
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STU PLT SAID THE ENGINE BEGAN TO ALTERNATE BETWEEN PARTIAL AND FULL POWER DURING THE INITIAL TKF CLIMB. THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 100 FT AGL AND ABOUT 300 FT PAST THE RWY END. ACCORDING TO THE STU THE INST TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT, TURNED LEFT, REVERSED COURSE AND HEADED TOWARD A TAXIWAY ON THE ARPT. THE TAXIWAY IS ORIENTED EAST-WEST AND IS EAST OF AND ALMOST PERPENDICULAR TO THE RWY USED FOR TKF, RWY 15. THE STU COULD NOT RECALL WHETHER THE ACFT LOST OR GAINED ALTITUDE DURING THE APPROACH TO THE RWY; HOWEVER HE SAID THE ACFT STAYED ABOVE THE ARPT. A WITNESS SAID HE HEARD ENGINE SOUNDS AS THE ACFT REVERSED COURSE. ACCORDING TO THE STU AS THEY NEARED THE TAXIWAY THE ACFT WAS STILL IN A LEFT TURN WHEN SUDDENLY IT STRUCK TREES ABOUT 200 FT SHORT OF THE EAST END OF THE TAXIWAY. A WITNESS SAID THE ACFT STALLED BEFORE IT STRUCK TREES. THE STU WAS RESCUED FROM THE ACFT BUT THE ACFT EXPLODED BEFORE THE INSTR COULD BE RESCUED. TWO RESCUERS WERE INJURED IN THE EXPLOSION. FIRE DAMAGE PRECLUDED DETERMINATION OF LOSS OF POWER. THE ACFT USED AUTO GAS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: WV12 at 10:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,000 ft by 20 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from CRW, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.