Cessna 150J accident near Norwood, Massachusetts, November 13, 1995
On November 13, 1995 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Cessna 150J, registered N51197, was substantially damaged in an accident near Norwood, Massachusetts (Norwood Memorial 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's inadvertent use of the mixture control and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision during the final approach resulting in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and the subsequent nose over during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1995 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Norwood, Massachusetts · Norwood Memorial
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150J · all 150Js on the register
- Registration
- N51197 · no longer on the register · serial 15069833
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the final approach, the instructor told the student to reduce engine power. According to the instructor, ' . . . instead of pulling the power back, he pulled the mixture control knob all the (way) back. I failed to catch his mistake in time.' The instructor did a forced landing and the aircraft landed short of the runway and nosed over. The student had 7 hours of total time.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 280 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1995; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Norwood Air
The flight
- Departed from: OWD at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,007 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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.