Cessna 150L accident near Godley, Texas, May 16, 2024
On May 16, 2024 at about 1:39 am local time, a 1971 Cessna 150L, registered N1701Q, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Godley, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control while practicing a power-on stall, which resulted in an inadvertent spin at an altitude from which he was unable to recover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 2024 · about 1:39 am local time
- Place
- Godley, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L, built 1971 · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N1701Q · no longer on the register · serial 15073001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting a local solo flight. Review of flight track data revealed that, during the final 6.5 minutes of the flight, the airplane completed several large deceleration-and-acceleration cycles between 1,000 and 1,700 ft above ground level (agl). During each of these cycles, the airplane’s airspeed decreased below aerodynamic stall speed before it increased again. The airspeed and altitude profiles during these maneuvers were consistent with the pilot practicing aerodynamic stalls. Shortly before the accident, the airplane entered a rapid climb while the airspeed decreased below aerodynamic stall speed, consistent with an intentional power-on stall entry. There was a 6-second interruption in track data coverage after the airplane entered the aerodynamic stall, but when coverage resumed, the airplane was in a rapid descent that continued until the end of recorded data about 8 seconds later. A witness reported seeing the airplane flying at slow speed, almost “hovering” in the air, before it suddenly entered a spiraling nosedive. The airplane completed at least 6 to 8 rotations in the descending spiral before it descended out of sight behind a hill. An extensive postimpact fire thermally damaged most of the airplane. A wreckage examination revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal airplane operation. The pilot’s autopsy and postmortem toxicology tests did not reveal any evidence of medical incapacitation or impairment. Based on the available information, the pilot likely did not maintain airplane control during the intentional power-on stall, which resulted in an inadvertent spin at an altitude from which he was unable to recover.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 62.1 hours in all; 2.7 in this make and model; 8.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 6, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,025.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 3,026 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CPT Cleburn TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from KCPT, 6 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KCPT 160135Z AUTO 12012KT 10SM CLR 26/19 A2976 RMK A01=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
21 documents, released by the NTSB on May 28, 2026. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
Other NTSB records under N1701Q 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.