Cessna 150M accident near S. Rockledge, Florida, April 20, 1999
On April 20, 1999 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N66560, was substantially damaged in an accident near S. Rockledge, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power while in cruise flight due to the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat during carburetor icing conditions and the subsequent emergency landing to unsuitable terrain and collision with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1999 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- S. Rockledge, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N66560 · no longer on the register · serial 15076124
- 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 was nearing his destination on the first leg of his solo cross-country, still in cruise flight, when the engine suddenly lost power. He stated that he performed the procedures for engine failure, but does not remember using carburetor heat. He did not regain engine power, and was forced to make an emergency landing in a residential area, sustaining minor injuries and substantially damaging the airplane. Examination of the aircraft, engine, fuel system, and all components by an FAA inspector revealed no failures or malfunctions. The temperature and dew point reported by a station 15 miles from the accident would have put this flight within the region labeled, 'visible icing at glide and cruise power' using carburetor icing probability charts.
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: 155 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 99 in the last 30 days; 95 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,746 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 2, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GIF Winter Park FL at 7:00 pm
- Destination: COI Merritt Island FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from TIX, 15 miles away
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.