Cessna 150F accident near Clearwater, Florida, July 2, 1997
On July 2, 1997 at about 12:35 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8083S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clearwater, Florida (Clearwater Air Park airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during an attempted go-around, which resulted in an on-ground loss of control and subsequent collision with trees and a ditch. The crosswind, trees, and ditch were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1997 · about 12:35 pm local time
- Place
- Clearwater, Florida · Clearwater Air Park
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8083S · registry record · serial 15061683
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated he encountered some turbulence about 5 feet above the runway which caused the airplane to yaw to the left just before touchdown. The airplane touched down hard on the right main landing gear and bounced. The pilot decided to abort the landing and go around. He applied full throttle, but the engine did not respond immediately. The carburetor heat was not turned off. During the go-around, the pilot raised the flaps to 10-degrees, and the airplane settled to the ground in a crab. Subsdequently, it yawed to the left, the left wing tip collided with trees, and the airplane went off the left side of the runway into a ditch. Review of weather information for the time of the accident revealed no record of turbulence, downdrafts, gusts, or windshear.
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: student
- Flight time: 20 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,964 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 1996; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLW at 12:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from CLW
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.
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.