Cessna A150 accident near Greenbelt, Maryland, September 10, 1993
On September 10, 1993 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Cessna A150, registered N6013J, was destroyed in an accident near Greenbelt, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
1) THE PILOT'S POOR JUDGEMENT IN BUZZING A RESIDENTIAL AREA, 2) HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN AIRSPEED ABOVE THE AERODYNAMIC STALLING SPEED, WHICH LED TO A STALL/SPIN, AND 3) THE INABILITY OF THE PILOT TO TAKE REMEDIAL ACTION AND RECOVER FROM THE STALL/SPIN DUE TO INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 1993 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Greenbelt, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150 · all A150s on the register
- Registration
- N6013J · registry record · serial A1500313
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TELEPHONED A FRIEND AND TOLD HIM HE WOULD BE FLYING OVER HIS HOUSE. THE PILOT THEN PERFROMED A PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION ON THE AIRPLANE AND TOOK OFF WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. A STUDENT PILOT WAS ALSO ON BOARD. ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER, THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED CIRCLING A RESIDENTIAL AREA AT ALTITUDES RANGING FROM 500 TO 1,000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. SOME WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING THE ENGINE 'REV UP' AND BECOME QUIET DURING THE CIRCLING. THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN OBSERVED TO INITIATE A 'STEEP' CLIMB, SUDDENLY NOSE OVER, AND SPIN INTO THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE AERODYNAMICALLY STALLED, SPUN, IMPACTED TREES AND TERRAIN, AND BURNED. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND IN THE FULLY RETRACTED POSITION. EXAMINATIONS OF THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL ANY PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL DEFICIENCIES.
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: 638 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,114 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 30, 1993; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Metropolitan Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: W28 Friendly MD at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from ADW, 11 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.
Other NTSB records under N6013J 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.