Cessna 150M accident near Ellicott City, Maryland, September 25, 1999
On September 25, 1999 at about 8:53 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66641, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellicott City, Maryland (Haysfield Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's failure to follow the balked landing procedure in the owner's manual by retracting the flaps from 40 degrees to zero degrees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1999 · about 8:53 pm local time
- Place
- Ellicott City, Maryland · Haysfield Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66641 · no longer on the register · serial 15076176
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an instructional flight, the student pilot flew an approach to the runway and bounced the landing. The airplane bounced several times and struck the tail on the turf runway. The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane and aborted the landing. Full power was applied, the flaps were fully retracted and the airplane struck trees beyond the departure end of the runway. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane. The airplane's maximum allowable gross weight was 1,600 pounds. The airplane's approximate weight at the accident site was 1,670 pounds. The Owner's Manual said: 'In a balked landing (go-around) climb, the wing flap setting should be reduced to 20 [degrees] immediately after full power is applied. Upon reaching a safe airspeed, the flaps should be slowly retracted to the full up position.'
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 787 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 753 as pilot in command; 43 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,554 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1999; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: J.D. Kreis Aviation, INC
The flight
- Departed from: W54 Westminster MD at 8:20 pm
- Destination: MD24
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,400 ft by 85 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from BWI, 14 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.
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.