Cessna 150C accident near Kemblesville, Pennsylvania, August 16, 1991
On August 16, 1991 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Cessna 150C, registered N16AC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kemblesville, Pennsylvania. 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 INSTRUCTOR PILOTS' INADEQUATE SUPERVISION, THE STUDENT PILOTS' OVERSHOOT OF THE SIMULATED LANDING AREA, AND THE POWER LOSS FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1991 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Kemblesville, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150C · all 150Cs on the register
- Registration
- N16AC · no longer on the register · serial 15068981
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INTENT OF THE FLIGHT WAS FAMILIARIZATION FOR THE ATP RATED DUAL STUDENT IN THE AIRPLANE. THE INSTRUCTOR PULLED CARBURETOR HEAT AND FROM 1000 FEET, ASKED THE STUDENT TO DEMONSTARTE A FORCED LANDING. POWER WAS REDUCED AND A MOWED ROW IN A CORN FIELD WAS PICKED FOR THE SIMULATED FORCED LANDING. ON A 600 FOOT DOWNWIND THEY WERE TOO CLOSE ABEAM TO MAKE A BASE LEG AND, THEREFORE, TURNED 180 DEGREES TO FINAL, OVERSHOOTING THE INTENDED LANDING AREA. A GO-AROUND WAS INITIATED FROM ABOUT 100 FEET BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. A FORCED LANDING WAS PERFORMED IN THE CORN, WHICH CAUSED THE NOSE TO FALL. THE ENGINE WAS TESTED AND RAN SUCCESSFULLY.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 355 hours in all; 121 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 222 as pilot in command; 32 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,234 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 1991; 107 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Atlantic Aero Club, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ILG Wilmington DE at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.