Cessna 150 accident near Freemont, Delaware, July 7, 2000
On July 7, 2000 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8362M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Freemont, Delaware (None airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance and delayed power application while attempting to release a banner from the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2000 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Freemont, Delaware · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N8362M · no longer on the register · serial A15000062
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a descent to an altitude of 50 feet to release a banner, which the airplane was towing. As the pilot applied power to go-around, the airplane's nose gear came in contact with the ground. The airplane bounced 15-20 feet into the air, the pilot released the banner, and the airplane continued to climb. A subsequent landing was attempted and the pilot noticed the throttle was stuck in the 3/4 open position. The mixture was reduced and the magnetos were turned off to land the airplane without power. During the landing flare, the nose of the airplane came in contact with the ground, because the nose gear had collapsed. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no pre-impact malfunctions of the airplane or engine.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 413 hours in all; 174 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 114 in the last 30 days; 360 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GED Georgetown DE at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from GED, 5 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.