Cessna A150M accident near Gainesville, Georgia, May 18, 2000
On May 18, 2000 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna A150M, registered N9834J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gainesville, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to use proper soft field landing technique while attempting a forced landing to an open field following a loss of engine power which resulted in a hard landing. Factors in the accident were weather conditions conducive to formation of carburetor icing, and the uphill slope of the field chosen for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 2000 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Gainesville, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A150M · all A150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9834J · no longer on the register · serial A1500643
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to statements by the pilot and the passenger, at about 3,500 feet msl, while sightseeing in the Lake Lanier area, the engine lost power, and attempts to identify and correct the problem were unsuccessful. The field selected for the forced landing revealed an upslope as they got closer, and the landing touchdown tore off the nose landing gear, the left main wheel, and broke the fuselage behind the rear window. A postcrash engine run, with FAA oversight, using the same fuel aboard at the time of the accident, revealed no engine abnormalities. Using the temperature and dew point reported by the nearest flight service station for the time period of the accident, reference to carburetor icing probability charts would put the flight's probability within the regions classified as, 'visible icing at cruise power', and also within the more restricted, 'serious icing at glide 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 393 hours in all; 322 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 333 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,605 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 10, 2000; 20 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: LZU Lawrenceville GA at 7:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from GVL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.