Cessna 150M accident near Hernando, Florida, May 8, 2023
On May 8, 2023 at about 1:35 am local time, a 1975 Cessna 150M, registered N150VL, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Hernando, Florida (Twelve Oaks airport). It was a personal 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 failure to maintain adequate clearance from obstacles during takeoff at night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 2023 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Hernando, Florida · Twelve Oaks · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M, built 1975 · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N150VL · no longer on the register · serial 15076672
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he and the pilot-rated passenger were practicing full-stop landings from the turf runway on a dark, moonless night. The passenger had already completed three full-stop landings and he had completed two. The accident flight was going to be his last landing. During a takeoff, he lost visual reference of the tree line along the side of the runway and contacted some treetops. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground and the leading edges of the wings, and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot and the passenger were seriously injured. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Awareness of condition
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,360 hours in all; 3,200 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 10,069 as pilot in command; 7,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 1, 2022
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,408 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 4,354 hours total
- Operator: Flying Low Engineering INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from INF, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KINF 080135Z AUTO 13003KT 7SM CLR 23/16 A3013 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 7, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photos | 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.
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.