Cessna A150M accident near Alvin, Texas, July 27, 1999
On July 27, 1999 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna A150M, registered N2721J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alvin, Texas (Alvin 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 excessive rotation while performing a soft field takeoff, which resulted in a delayed lift-off and the ensuing failure to attain obstacle clearance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1999 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Alvin, Texas · Alvin Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150M · all A150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N2721J · registry record · serial A1500569
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a dual instructional flight, the airplane struck a stop sign on takeoff initial climb and then impacted terrain. The flight instructor reported that the student initiated the takeoff from the 1,500-foot grass runway. 'About halfway down the runway,' the instructor 'realized it would be real close, if [they] made it.' He assumed control of the airplane and held 'the yoke back to do a soft field takeoff.' The instructor stated that he thought he 'pulled the nose up too far and dragged the tail.' After becoming airborne, the airplane collided with a stop sign located off the airport property. Subsequently, the airplane impacted in a field, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose down in a barbed wire fence. The flight instructor had accumulated 827 total flight hours and had given 94 hours of flight instruction of which 45 hours were in a Cessna 150.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 827 hours in all; 167 in this make and model; 112 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 678 as pilot in command; 94 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,383 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 13, 1999; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Harvey And Rihn Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 6R5 at 5:45 pm
- Destination: T41 La Porte TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 1,500 ft by 80 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.