Cessna 150M accident near Key Biscayne, Florida, October 26, 2015
On October 26, 2015 at about 6:23 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 150M, registered N171RD, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Key Biscayne, Florida. It was a personal 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 fatigue failure of the No. 1 cylinder intake valve, which resulted in the partial loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2015 · about 6:23 pm local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Key Biscayne, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M, built 1976 · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N171RD · registry record · serial 15078530
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal flight. The pilot reported that, several minutes after takeoff and while en route to his destination airport, the engine began to run roughly and lose power. He subsequently attempted to restore power without success. He then maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing on the fairway of a golf course. The airplane touched down on wet grass, and the pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it collided with two palm trees, which separated the outboard sections of both wings. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the intake valve of the No. 1 cylinder had failed due to fatigue, which would have resulted in the partial loss of engine power and engine roughness reported by the pilot. The origin and the extent of the fatigue region could not be determined due to postfracture damage. Further examination of the tip of the valve revealed an abnormal contact wear pattern likely caused by either misalignment relative to the valve seat, valve guide wear, or sticking between the valve stem and the valve guide. A review of maintenance records revealed that new cylinders had been installed when the engine was overhauled about 904 total flight hours before the accident.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the engine
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 20, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,183.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 11, 2014; 132 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ameri Air Support, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: OPF Opa-Locka FL at 6:01 pm
- Destination: TMB Miami FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 11 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:39 pm from MIA, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on May 11, 2016. 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 Initial Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 16-015 | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Report and Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Witness Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Record of NTSB Conversations | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Excerpts from Engine Maintenance Records | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 and NTSB Evidence Control Forms | PDF, 3 pages | 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
- N171RD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,992 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Miami-Opa Locka Executive · departed from
- Miami Executive · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 984 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,704 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA16LA027.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.