Cessna 150F accident near Sweetwater, Tennessee, September 26, 2010
On September 26, 2010 at about 2:59 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N7915F, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Sweetwater, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight weather planning and improper decision to continue a visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2010 · about 2:59 pm local time
- Place
- Sweetwater, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7915F · no longer on the register · serial 15064015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot did not possess an instrument rating and had not logged any actual instrument experience. During the 2 days prior to the accident flight, the pilot had completed two cross-country flights uneventfully and he was returning home on the accident flight. The pilot did not contact the flight service station for a weather briefing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport; however, instrument meteorological conditions were present along the route of flight and near the destination airport. About 1 hour into the cross-country flight, the airplane impacted hilly terrain about 1,300 feet mean sea level (msl). Radar data indicated that 1 minute prior to the accident, the airplane began a right turn, followed by a descending left turn, with the last recorded target at 1,600 feet msl about 1/4 mile from the accident site. One witness stated that it was foggy in the area at the time of the accident. The recorded weather at a nearby airport, located at 1,031 feet msl, included an overcast ceiling at 600 feet. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. If neither horizon or surface references exist, the attitude of an airplane must be determined by artificial means from the flight instruments. However, during periods of low visibility, the supporting senses sometimes conflict with what is seen, and when this happens, a pilot is particularly vulnerable to spatial disorientation.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute defining event
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 330 hours in all; 6 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 240 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 21, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,583 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 2010; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RYY Marietta GA at 1:45 pm
- Destination: DKX Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from MNV, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.