Cessna 150M accident near Ridgeway, Virginia, July 5, 2011
On July 5, 2011 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N9416U, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Ridgeway, Virginia (Pace Airport). 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 pilot's decision to takeoff using a flap setting higher than the manufacturer's recommended setting for takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 2011 · about 4:20 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Ridgeway, Virginia · Pace Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9416U · no longer on the register · serial 15078364
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI) and his student completed the preflight inspection and engine run up. The airplane became airborne about 1/3 way down the runway, climbed slowly and collided with trees at the departure end of the runway. The airplane descended, impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. A postaccident examination revealed the airplane was at or slightly over the maximum takeoff weight, and the flaps were set at 10-degrees. According to the airplane's pilot operating handbook, the best rate of climb with no obstacles should be performed with zero flaps. The CFI reported that there were no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Collision during takeoff/land during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Climb capability › Not specified
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weight/balance calculations › Not specified
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Not specified
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,480 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,300 as pilot in command; 514 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 17, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 239 hours in all; 156 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 172 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 28, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2010
- 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: VA02 Ridgeway VA at 4:19 pm
- Destination: MOR Morriston TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:22 pm from MTV, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on August 19, 2011. 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 | Pilot and Witness Interview Summaries | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Flight Path of Airplane | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpts from Cessna 150 Owners Manual | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum of Record - Weight and Balance Calculation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Mtv Weather Observations | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Photo 1: Front View of Wreckage (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Photo 2: Side View of Airplane Wreckage. (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9416U: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,992 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES 8,790 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pace Airport · nearest airport
- Moore-Murrell Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,973 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA11CA377.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.