Cessna 150 accident near Zepp, Virginia, May 21, 2017
On May 21, 2017 at about 1:45 pm local time, a 1969 Cessna 150, registered N60579, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Zepp, Virginia. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor icing, which resulted from the student pilot’s failure to apply carburetor heat and the flight instructor’s delayed response in applying carburetor heat while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2017 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Zepp, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 J, built 1969 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N60579 · no longer on the register · serial 15070419
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during a long cross-country flight, they encountered deteriorating weather conditions, and to remain visual flight rules, he altered course and destination. En route and while approaching a ridge line, he "noticed that [the airplane's] airspeed started to drop toward 65 miles an hour." He added that "[he] thought that maybe [the airplane was] picking up carburetor ice and [he] reached for the carburetor heat and pulled it out." The student pilot reported that, after the flight instructor stated, "watch your airspeed," he looked at the rpm gauge and noted that it was indicating 1,800 to 1,900 rpm. He added that the flight instructor took over the flight controls and that the airplane then impacted the top of a ridge. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. Atmospheric conditions reported at the time of the accident around the accident site were conducive to serious icing at cruise power. It is likely that carburetor ice accumulated due to the student pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat and the flight instructor's delayed application of carburetor heat, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power.
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
- Other weather encounter during enroute
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 28,250 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 41.7 in the last 90 days; 8.8 in the last 30 days; 26,750 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 31.6 hours in all; 31.6 in this make and model; 14.1 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,972 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 14, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CBE Cumberland WV at 1:00 pm
- Destination: 8W2 New Market VA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from KOKV, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 5, 2017. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Instructor Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | 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.