Cessna 150L accident near Manteo, North Carolina, June 16, 2001
On June 16, 2001 at about 5:39 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N11912, was destroyed in an accident near Manteo, North Carolina (Dare County Regional Airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering after releasing a banner resulting in an inadvertent stall and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2001 · about 5:39 pm local time
- Place
- Manteo, North Carolina · Dare County Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N11912 · registry record · serial 15075705
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was observed by witnesses releasing a banner to the sod area adjacent to runway 23. An increase in engine power was heard and the nose of the airplane pitched up greater than 45 degrees. The airplane stalled, the left wing dropped, the airplane rolled to the left in a nose down attitude, collided with terrain and exploded. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 304 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 123 in the last 90 days; 89 in the last 30 days; 255 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 11, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,599 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 7, 2000; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Kitty Hawk Aero Tours
The flight
- Departed from: MQI Manteo NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 5:43 pm from MQI
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 N11912 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.