Cessna 150 accident near Brewton, Alabama, July 23, 1996
On July 23, 1996, a Cessna 150, registered N4223U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brewton, Alabama (Brewton airport). It was an instructional 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
a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1996
- Place
- Brewton, Alabama · Brewton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N4223U · registry record · serial 15060223
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was conducting a biennial flight review for the private pilot, and had been performing maneuvers at 3000 feet before returning to the airport to perform touch and go landings. After completing several landings and takeoffs, the flight was in the process of taking off when at an altitude of about 300 feet mean sea level the engine lost power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and landed on the shoulder of a highway. The airplane went into a ditch and struck a driveway that crossed the ditch. The pilot-in-command (PIC) stated that he had experienced 'carburetor icing which was manifested by him not activating carburetor heat' during takeoff/landing. The PIC also stated he had experienced carb icing earlier, 'so conditions were suitable for icing.' An engine test run was conducted, and according to the FAA the results of the engine test run were 'inconclusive.' The engine tests were conducted with no discrepancies observed.
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: 3,632 hours in all; 1,600 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 593 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,063 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 28, 1995; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 12J at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 5,187 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 pm from CEW, 50 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.