Cessna 150 accident near Port Saint Joe, Florida, May 7, 1994
On May 7, 1994 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N704LZ, was destroyed in an accident near Port Saint Joe, Florida. It was a personal 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 FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED RESULTING IN AN INADVERTENT STALL. THE LOW ALTITUDE AT THE TIME OF THE STALL WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 1994 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Saint Joe, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N704LZ · no longer on the register · serial 150-78708
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE MANEUVERING THE AIRPLANE STALLED, DESCENDED UNCONTROLLED AND COLLIDED WITH A SAND DUNE. THE AIRPLANE THEN NOSED OVER, CAME TO REST INVERTED AND WAS DESTROYED BY A POST CRASH FIRE. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF FLIGHT CONTROL PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND NEARLY FULLY EXTENDED. REPORTEDLY, THE PASSENGERS LAP BELT WAS DIFFICULT TO RELEASE WHILE INVERTED WHICH RESULTED IN THE DELAY IN HER EXITING THE AIRPLANE RESULTING IN BURNS TO HER LEGS. ALL COMPONENTS OF THE LAP BELT SYSTEM WERE NOT FOUND BUT EXAMINATION OF RECOVERED COMPONENTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 660 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,769 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 23, 1994; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: AAF Apalachicola FL at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:49 pm from PFN, 12 miles away
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.