Cessna 150 accident near Mcgaheysville, Virginia, August 14, 2001
On August 14, 2001 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N63351, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcgaheysville, Virginia. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to recover from a spin for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2001 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mcgaheysville, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N63351 · no longer on the register · serial 15077256
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot were returning from a cross country flight, when a witness on the ground heard the airplane's engine "just cut-out". The witness looked up and saw the airplane "flying as it should." He said the airplane then "turned into a nose-dive" and started to spin toward the ground. As the airplane descended, the witness said it appeared as if the pilot was fighting the airplane. He also heard the engine trying to be re-started. The witness said the airplane "stayed in a consistent spiral" with a "really wide axis" until it disappeared into the trees. Additionally, he said the airplane took a long time to descend to the ground, and that the pilot had plenty of time to recover. The last nine seconds of recorded radar data indicated that the airplane had descended from 5,000 feet to 4,300 feet. The distance between the last radar return and the location of the accident site was approximately 765 feet. Three of the flight instructor's students reported that the flight instructor had asked them if they wanted to learn spins during their flight lessons. According to two students, the flight instructor would enter the spin from a power on stall, and recover after two to three rotations. However, on one occasion, a student said the flight instructor, "did a whole lot of rotations...way more than three. I estimated that we did about 10 rotations, but I am not exactly sure...The spiral was tight...The more we let it spin, the tighter the rotations. However, he had no problem recovering the airplane." The flight instructor had accrued a total of about 1,485.7 flight hours, of which 234.4 hours were in make and model, and 1,051.6 total hours were as flight instructor. Review of Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 61.107- Flight Proficiency, an applicant for a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land is not required to receive and log spin training from an authorized instructor. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed that there were no mechanical deficiencies.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,485 hours in all; 234 in this make and model; 1,051 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 27 hours in all; 26 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,446.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 2001; 92.2 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: MRB Martinsburg WV at 6:55 pm
- Destination: SHD Shenandoah VA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from SHD, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N63351 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.