Cessna 150M accident near Tucson, Arizona, December 10, 2003
On December 10, 2003 at about 2:36 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N63149, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (Ryan Field Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's misjudged flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a pilot induced porpoise/oscillation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 10, 2003 · about 2:36 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Ryan Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63149 · registry record · serial 15077138
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed hard and porpoised down the runway. During the landing, the pilot began his flare 1/3 of the way down the runway. The airplane's approach speed was slightly high and the flare was longer than the pilot expected. When he was halfway down the runway, he further raised the airplane's nose to land. The pilot realized that he was too high for a normal touchdown and was also slow. The airplane landed hard and bounced three times before the nose wheel collapsed.
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: student
- Flight time: 24 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 2, 2003; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: International Airline Training Academy, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: RYN Tucson AZ at 7:00 am
- Destination: RYN Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6R, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from TUS, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N63149 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.