Cessna 150H accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts, October 21, 2012
On October 21, 2012 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150H, registered N7250S, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Mansfield, Massachusetts (Mansfield Municipal). It was an instructional 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 pilots’ failure to apply carburetor heat during takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor ice.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2012 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Mansfield, Massachusetts · Mansfield Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · all 150Hs on the register
- Registration
- N7250S · no longer on the register · serial 15067950
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that during takeoff, when the airplane reached 250 feet above ground level, it "stopped climbing." The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane from the student and verified the position of the engine controls; however, despite adjusting airspeeds between best rate and best angle of climb, the airplane continued to descend until it settled into trees off the departure end of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the empennage and tail sections. The occupants egressed without injury. After the accident, the airplane was removed from the trees by local authorities and placed inverted on the ground. As a result, all residual fuel drained from the airplane, and no fuel was available for testing. Examination of the airframe revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The engine was removed from the airframe and placed in a test cell where it started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously at rated power. Atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at any power setting, and the flight instructor stated that he ensured that the carburetor heat control was in its cold position during the takeoff. Therefore, it is likely that the loss of engine power was related to the accumulation of carburetor ice during takeoff.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during initial climb
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Not specified other cases naming the engine
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,730 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 1,220 as pilot in command; 770 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 24, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,814 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 2012
- 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: 1B9 Manfield ME at 5:20 pm
- Destination: 1B9 Manfield ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,503 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from TAN, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on August 22, 2013. 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 | Witness Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector Statement Addendum | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 1 - View of Airplane as Found (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 2 - View of Airplane Suspended in Tree (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Engine Exam Report (NTSB) | 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
- N7250S: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 150 7,993 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES 8,790 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mansfield Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Massachusetts 987 since 1982 · 91 in the last ten years
- Massachusetts 2,649 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13LA034.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.