Cessna 150F accident near Castroville, Texas, July 31, 2024
On July 31, 2024, a 1965 Cessna 150F, registered N8840S, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Castroville, Texas (Castroville Municipal 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 pilot’s inadequate recovery from a bounced landing and his failure to maintain proper airplane pitch control and airspeed during the go-around, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2024
- Place
- Castroville, Texas · Castroville Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F, built 1965 · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8840S · registry record · serial 15062140
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting touch-and-go landings with a gusting left crosswind when the airplane bounced upon touchdown on the runway. The pilot reported he increased the throttle to takeoff power for a go-around, but the airplane drifted off the right side of the runway and entered an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. The airplane came to rest upright in a crop field adjacent to the runway with substantial damage to both wings and the left aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 263 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 255 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 10, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,196 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 2024; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Blue Thunder Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: CVB Castroville TX at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,001 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from CVB
Weather report (METAR): METAR KCVB 302355Z AUTO 16010G16KT 7SM SCT055 A2992 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Airplane at accident site, right
Photo 2 – Airplane at accident site, left
Photo 3 – Left wingtip and aileronThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on January 21, 2025. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Statements | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airplane Maintenance Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Meteorological Data | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.