Cessna 150M accident near Plant City, Florida, June 21, 1986
On June 21, 1986 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N63133, was destroyed in an accident near Plant City, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1986 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plant City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63133 · registry record · serial 15077125
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A DUAL STUDENT PLT FLT, ABOUT 10 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENG BEGAN SEVERELY VIBRATING. THE INSTRUCTOR PLT TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT, REDUCED POWER AND ESTABLISHED A GLIDE TO A LOCAL ARPT. THE ENGINE THEN SUDDENLY FAILED COMPLETELY. THE INSTRUCTOR PLT THEN EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING INTO TREES. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE #2 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED AND PENETRATED THE ENGINE CASE. THE CRANKSHAFT JOURNAL FOR THE #2 CYLINDER WAS HEAT DAMAGED AND THE ROD CAP BEARING COULD NOT BE FOUND. THE OTHER CYLINDER BEARINGS WERE SCORED AND EXTENSIVELY WORN. AVAILABLE RECORDS INDICATE THAT THE ENGINE HAD BEEN OVERHAULED ABOUT 832 HOURS PREVIOUSLY.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,011 hours in all; 665 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 757 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,221 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 14, 1986; 90 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: X18 Brandon FL at 12:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 am from PIE, 21 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.