Cessna 150M accident near Londonderry, Vermont, June 5, 2003
On June 5, 2003 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704TG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Londonderry, Vermont (None airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain a safe altitude above the rising terrain. Factors related to the accident were the low ceilings and rising terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 2003 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Londonderry, Vermont · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704TG · no longer on the register · serial 15078856
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure, the pilot requested flight following services from air traffic control. While flying along an airway, approximately 40 miles south of the departure airport, air traffic control advised the pilot that he was too low for a hand off, and terminated flight following services. According to a witness, the airplane was in and out of the clouds as it maneuvered around a mountain. The airplane wreckage was located approximately 100 feet below the peak of the mountain, in a wooded area. The pilot had no recollection of the accident due to the severe head injuries suffered.
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: 137 hours in all; 113 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 54 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 25, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-200-a (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTV Burlington VT at 12:12 pm
- Destination: 9B1 Marlboro MA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from VSF, 25 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.