Cessna 150F accident near Norfolk, Massachusetts, July 30, 1992
On July 30, 1992 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N1073P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Norfolk, Massachusetts (Norfolk airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE LOSS OF COMPRESSION IN THE NO. 4 CYLINDER DUE TO A VALVE STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION, WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1992 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Norfolk, Massachusetts · Norfolk
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1073P · registry record · serial 15074988
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TAKING OFF ON RUNWAY 36 WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER AT ABOUT 400 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE LOWERED THE NOSE AND MADE A TURN TO LAND ON RUNWAY 18, BUT THE AIRPLANE VEERED OFF 150 FEET TO THE RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY INTO A PLOWED FIELD AND NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE BY THE FAA REVEALED THE NUMBER FOUR EXHAUST VALVE FAILED IN THE OPEN POSIITON, AND THE NUMBER THREE EXHAUST VALVE WAS LEAKING DUE TO A WORN SEAT.
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: 169 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,752 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1992; 147 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,620 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aviation East INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MA07 at 1:28 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,700 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.