Cessna 150M accident near Haverhill, Massachusetts, March 4, 1998
On March 4, 1998 at about 2:06 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N63387, was destroyed in an accident near Haverhill, Massachusetts. 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 loss of engine power due to a fractured number two cylinder exhaust valve and cracked cylinder. Contributing factors were the operator's allowance of the time between engine overhaul to be exceeded and the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1998 · about 2:06 pm local time
- Place
- Haverhill, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63387 · no longer on the register · serial 15077277
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In level flight at 2,000 feet, the engine began running rough with an associated vibration. The CFI took control of the airplane and the vibration became stronger. After shutting down the engine, the CFI attempted to land on an abandoned runway. The airplane impacted trees approximately 100 feet beyond the departure end of the abandoned runway. Examination of the engine logbooks and discussions with the operator disclosed that the engine was 362 hours beyond Time Between Overhaul (TBO) and automotive fuel was utilized without a Supplemental Type Certificate. Disassembly of the engine revealed the number two cylinder's exhaust valve was fractured and the cylinder was cracked. An examination of the fractured exhaust valve by the Materials Laboratory Division of the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the 'shank area immediately adjacent to the fracture was reduced in size, and the fracture features were indicative of bending overstress separation with no indications of pre-existing cracking.'
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,520 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command; 950 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 1998; 13 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: LWM Lawrence MA at 1:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from LWM, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
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.