Cessna 150L accident near Conway, Arkansas, March 13, 1998
On March 13, 1998 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N21915, was substantially damaged in an accident near Conway, Arkansas (Dennis F. Cantrell Field). It was an instructional 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 pilot's improper landing flare which resulted in a hard landing and her improper recovery procedures for a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1998 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Conway, Arkansas · Dennis F. Cantrell Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N21915 · no longer on the register · serial 15074532
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the student pilot's first solo landing attempt, the aircraft touched down 'hard' on runway 18, bounced and impacted the runway with the nose landing gear, folding it aft. The aircraft came to a stop on the runway, resting on its main landing gear and engine cowling. The student pilot reported that 'everything seemed to appear good on approach until I felt a shift of wind veer me off the glide path. I felt I had enough altitude to salvage the landing, but evidently I did not.' The student reported that the wind was from the south at 10 knots. The student's flight instructor reported that the aircraft appeared to be stabilized on final approach, and the aircraft crossed the runway threshold at about 50 feet agl. As the aircraft crossed the threshold its wing dipped right and then left. The aircraft rounded out at about 6 feet in a level attitude, and then lost altitude quickly and touched down in a three point landing. The aircraft bounced back into the air, the nose dropped and struck the runway with the nose gear.
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: student
- Flight time: 31 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,080 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 1997; 79 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: M03 at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,278 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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 N21915 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.