Cessna 150F accident near Lake Neepaulin, New Jersey, September 13, 1992
On September 13, 1992 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8725G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Neepaulin, New Jersey (Sussex airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH TREES AFTER THE PILOT FAILED TO OUTCLIMB THE TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE FLAPS AND THE PILOT'S DECISION TO OPERATE THE AIRPLANE OVER THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1992 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Neepaulin, New Jersey · Sussex
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8725G · no longer on the register · serial 15062825
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE A TAKEOFF WITH THE AIRPLANE LOADED 86 LBS OVER THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE TAKEOFF GROSS WEIGHT. IN ADDITION, HE SAID HE SET THE FLAPS AT 10 DEGREES. ACCORDING TO THE CESSNA 150 OWNERS MANUAL, USE OF FLAPS WILL SHORTEN THE GROUND ROLL, BUT DECREASE THE CLIMB RATE. ONCE AIRBORNE, THE PILOT COULD NOT OUTCLIMB THE RISING TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED OVER A LAKE WITH THE WINGS ROCKING FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE AIRPLANE THEN MADE A DESCENDING LEFT TURN INTO THE TREES. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THE FLAPS WERE SET AT 13 DEGREES AND THE ENGINE WAS TEST RUN SATISFACTORILY. THE PILOT'S MEDICAL HAD EXPIRED 5 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. THE OPERATOR WHO RENTED THE AIRPLANE TO THE PILOT HAD NO RECORDS OF THE PILOT'S QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, OR CHECKOUT IN THE CESSNA 150.
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: 400 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,144 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 1992; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sussex Airport INC.
The flight
- Departed from: N63 Sussex NJ at 6:40 pm
- Destination: N63
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,499 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.