Cessna 150 accident near Plymouth, Indiana, November 17, 1997
On November 17, 1997 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N50579, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plymouth, Indiana. 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
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the crosswind, soft field takeoff. Factors in this accident were the pilot not following the airplane manufacturer's recommended takeoff procedures by lowering the flaps, and the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1997 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plymouth, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N50579 · no longer on the register · serial 15069410
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot began taking off from a cut soybean field that was covered with about 3 inches of snow. He said the airplane encountered a left, front, quartering crosswind during the takeoff. Shortly after lift off, the airplane banked to the right. The pilot said he did not use 10 degrees of flaps for takeoff as the manufacturer recommended in the pilot operating handbook for the accident airplane. During the right bank, the airplane's right wingtip contacted the field's surface. According to the pilot, the airplane cartwheeled after that.
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: 140 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 63 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,001 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCX at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from SBN, 21 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.