Cessna 150M accident near Palmyra, Pennsylvania, October 8, 2007
On October 8, 2007 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N6252K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palmyra, Pennsylvania (Reigle Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, and the CFI's failure to take remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2007 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Palmyra, Pennsylvania · Reigle Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N6252K · no longer on the register · serial 15077609
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot of the Cessna 150M completed at least three touch-and-go circuits at another airport before returning to the accident airport. The airplane flew the complete left hand traffic pattern, and the pilots intended to make a full stop landing on runway 31, a 1,950-foot-long, 40-feet wide, asphalt runway. The flaps were set to the maximum extension of 40 degrees. According to the CFI, the airspeed was "a little high" on the final approach leg. The airplane floated, touched down "hard," and then bounced back into the air. The airplane touched down a second time, exited the runway to the left, and struck a cornfield located approximately 150 feet from the runway edge. On impact with the cornfield, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. Both pilots were uninjured, and exited through the window on the right (co-pilot) side of the airplane. The recorded weather at an airport approximately 12 miles east of the accident site, about the time of the accident, showed winds from 260 to 280 degrees, at 5 to 7 knots. The temperature was approximately 31 degrees Celsius, with a dew point of 18 degrees Celsius. The CFI had approximately 720 hours of total flight experience, and the student pilot had approximately 30 hours of total flight experience. After the accident, the CFI reported that the accident could probably have been avoided if a go-around had been initiated early in the sequence.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 720 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 526 as pilot in command; 17 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,038 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Reigle Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: 9D4 Myerstown PA
- Destination: 58N Palmyra PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 1,950 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from cxy, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.