Cessna FA150K accident near Houston, Texas, March 23, 2003
On March 23, 2003 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna FA150K, registered N922SZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Texas (Weiser Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight separation of the elevator trim tab.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 2003 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Weiser Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna FA150K
- Registration
- N922SZ · no longer on the register · serial 0047
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While recovering from a steep spiral from 3,000 feet msl to 1,000 feet msl, the pilot felt a shudder in the yoke. Utilizing power adjustments, the 496-hour pilot landed the airplane without further incident. Examination of the airplane revealed that the trim tab and hinge had separated from the right elevator. The right stabilizer was bent upward, the trim tab actuator was found loose in the mount, the rivet holes where the trim tab attached to the elevator, were deformed. Examination of the trim tab actuator revealed black electrical tape wrapped around the trim tab actuator body in the area under each clamp. The trim tab was not found. The rivet holes on the elevator exhibited deformation consistent with the trim tab separation pulling the rivet heads through the elevator skin. The part numbers for the trim tab actuator and clamps (AN742D13) were consistent with manufacturers part numbers. When the clamps were closed and the inside diameter measured, one clamp measured .842 inch and the other measured .860 inch in diameter. The Air Force -Aeronautical Standard for the AN742D13 clamp indicated the diameter to be .813 inch. The investigation was not able to determine when the electrical tape was placed on the actuator. The last annual inspection was performed on November 5, 2002, at accumulated aircraft time of 7,708.04 hours.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 496 hours in all; 358 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 20, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,266.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 2002; 40.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EYQ Houston TX at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 3,467 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from DWH, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N922SZ the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.