Cessna 150F accident near Maple, North Carolina, August 6, 1999
On August 6, 1999 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N7059F, was destroyed in an accident near Maple, North Carolina (Currituck County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to follow the aircraft's operating checklist and retract the wing flaps for takeoff as specified, as well as the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (Vso) on initial takeoff climb, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, a spin, and subsequent collision with the terrain. A finding was marihuana in the pilot's blood and urine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1999 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Maple, North Carolina · Currituck County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7059F · no longer on the register · serial 15063659
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses stated that they saw the airplane at an altitude of about 10 to 20 feet on what they believed to be the initial takeoff, just past the midfield of runway 04, with full flaps extended, climbing very slowly. The witnesses further stated that the airplane continued without a significant gain in altitude and approached the trees at the departure end of the runway, well below the tree line. At about 70 to 100 feet the aircraft then appeared to settle, followed quickly thereafter by a slight turn to the left and entry into a spin to the left. The aircraft impacted the terrain in a 90-degree nose-down attitude. An examination of the aircraft engine and flight controls did not reveal any preexisting failure or malfunction. The wing flaps were found in the fully extended position. Forensic toxicology was performed by the FAA Toxicology Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on the pilot. The tests were positive for the following: 0.003 (ug/ml, ug/g) tetrahydrocannabinol (marihuana), and 0.012 (ug/ml, ug/g) tetrahydrocannbinol carboxylic acid (marihuana) were detected in the blood, and 0.081 (ug/ml, ug/g) tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (marihuana) was found in the urine.
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: 89 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,822 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 15, 1999; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 9W7
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 4,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from ECG, 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.
Other NTSB records under N7059F 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.