Cessna A150L accident near Leonardtown, Maryland, May 28, 1994
On May 28, 1994 at about 12:25 pm local time, a Cessna A150L, registered N5964J, was destroyed in an accident near Leonardtown, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER USE OF CARBURETOR HEAT BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO CARBURETOR ICE. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE PRESENCE OF CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1994 · about 12:25 pm local time
- Place
- Leonardtown, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150L · all A150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N5964J · no longer on the register · serial A1500264
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED WHILE MAKING SEVERAL LOW LEVEL CIRCULAR PASSES OVER A RESIDENCE 'THE ENGINE LOST POWER-RPM DROP TO MAYBE 1200...ENGINE POWER CUT IN/OUT A FEW TIMES - A LITTLE VIBRATION TOO.' THE PILOT ADJUSTED THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE BUT COULD NOT MAKE THE ENGINE REGAIN POWER. HE DITCHED IN A POND LOCATED BEHIND THE RESIDENCE. THE PILOT EXITED THE AIRPLANE AS THE AIRPLANE SANK. THE AIRPLANE WAS RECOVERED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE POND. A POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY AIRFRAME OR ENGINE ANOMALIES. THE AIRPLANE HAD APPROXIMATELY SIX GALLONS OF FUEL IN EACH WING TANK. THE CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL WAS IN THE OFF POSITION. THE THROTTLE WAS 1/3 OPEN WITH THE MIXTURE FULL RICH. CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR CARBURETOR ICING EXISTED.
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: commercial pilot, foreign licence, private, student
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,300 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,389 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 5, 1994; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2W6 MD at 12:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 001° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 am from NHK, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.