Cessna 150G accident near Lonoke, Arkansas, February 27, 1998
On February 27, 1998 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N3729J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lonoke, Arkansas (Sendero Airpark airport). 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 flight instructor's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, and his delayed decision to abort the takeoff. A factor relating to the accident was: the soft/wet area on the turf runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 27, 1998 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lonoke, Arkansas · Sendero Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3729J · no longer on the register · serial 150-65029
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor (CFI) elected to take the student to the Sendero Airpark to give the student a chance to experience an 'actual' soft field landing and takeoff. Utilizing the soft field landing technique, the student pilot executed a successful landing on runway 30. For the departure from the airstrip, the CFI stated that he pointed out the pros and cons of the obstacles surrounding the airstrip and elected to depart from runway 12, which was also a customary local procedure at the airstrip. The airplane was configured for a soft field takeoff from the 2,200 foot grass airstrip. During the takeoff roll, the wheels of the airplane encountered a 'very wet and soft spot on the grass runway,' and the airplane decelerated abruptly. The CFI took control of the airplane and closed the throttle to abort the takeoff; however, the airplane overran the end of the airstrip, impacted a drainage ditch, and nosed over. The CFI added that he was not aware that the area had been subjected to heavy thunderstorms and hail the day before the accident. He also stated that 'he hesitated for 3 to 5 seconds before making the decision to abort.'
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 635 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 590 as pilot in command; 174 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,387 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 15, 1998; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1M1 N. Little Rock AR at 4:00 pm
- Destination: 1AR9
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,200 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from LIT, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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.