Cessna 150M accident near Swanton, Vermont, January 16, 1982
On January 16, 1982 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N704KE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Swanton, Vermont (Franklin County airport). It was a personal flight 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1982 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Swanton, Vermont · Franklin County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N704KE · no longer on the register · serial 15078665
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE INITIAL TAKEOFF, THE PILOT NOTED A PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL. CARBURETOR HEAT WAS APPLIED AND POWER WAS RESTORED. HE FLEW THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AND LANDED, AND THEN HE MADE ANOTHER PREFLIGHT INSPECTION AND A FULL RUN-UP. DURING A SECOND TAKEOFF, HE ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER PARTIAL POWER LOSS AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL. CARBURETOR HEAT WAS APPLIED WITH SATISFACTORY RESULTS FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS, AND THEN HE TURNED BACK TO THE AIRPORT FOR A DOWNWIND LANDING. HOWEVER, HE OVERSHOT THE RUNWAY AND APPLIED POWER. ENGINE POWER WAS RESTORED FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE AND THEN DROPPED TO ABOUT 1200 RPM. CARBURETOR HEAR WAS APPLIED, BUT THE POWER COULD NOT BE RESTORED. AT THE TIME, THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOW OVER A WOODED AREA. IT CONTINUED DESCENT INTO THE TREES AND CRASHED. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 22 DEGREES, BUT THE DEW POINT WAS UNKNOWN.
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: 540 hours in all; 482 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 505 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 720 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1B7 Swanton VT at 12:00 pm
- Destination: 1B7 Swanton VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.