Cessna 150J accident near Canton, Michigan, April 18, 1998
On April 18, 1998 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N50566, was substantially damaged in an accident near Canton, Michigan. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The undetermined loss of power reported by the pilot. Contributing factors were the residential nature of the landing area and unsuitable landing terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1998 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Canton, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N50566 · no longer on the register · serial 15069400
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was on an instructional flight and had just taken off from a stop-and-go landing. The instructor pilot reported that during climb there was a power interruption prior to impact, and he initiated a forced landing in a residential area, and that at no time did he feel that the engine power had returned. Subsequent to the accident, an examination of the airplane and engine failed to reveal any mechanical anomalies other than those associated with the impact and post accident fire. He initiated a forced landing in a residential area. Ground scars related with the initial impact were noted on a residential street. The aircraft then proceeded through a boulevard colliding with a mailbox and leaving horizontal slashes in the concrete sidewalk consistent with propeller strikes. The aircraft then came to rest in a driveway with the main landing gear bent aft. The propeller showed evidence of rotation with chordwise scratching and nicks. One blade of the propeller was broken off and was located about one city block away from the wreckage. The blade had a curled tip and also evidence of chordwise scratching.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,039 hours in all; 132 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 1,959 as pilot in command; 1,410 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,674 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 15, 1998; 14 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
The flight
- Departed from: 1D2 at 10:30 pm
- Destination: YIP Belleville MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from YIP, 8 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.
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.