Cessna 150L accident near Collegeville, Pennsylvania, January 12, 1997
On January 12, 1997 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N10809, was destroyed in an accident near Collegeville, Pennsylvania (Perkiomen Valley airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the forced landing, which resulted in a stall and collision with the ground. A contributing factor was wind gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1997 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Collegeville, Pennsylvania · Perkiomen Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N10809 · no longer on the register · serial 15075053
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and the 50-hour student pilot were departing on a training flight. After takeoff, the airplane was observed in a steep climb attitude. This was followed by the left wing dropping and a nose-down descent until ground impact. One witness heard a sputtering engine on takeoff. A second witness heard a reduction in power and a few seconds afterwards the sound of the impact. Examination of the aircraft did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction. A local pilot and another flight instructor reported that they had observed the flight instructor climbing at what they thought were steep climbs during previous flights. A local pilot reported that the winds were 40 degrees to the right of the runway at 15 knots, with gusts to 22 knots.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,420 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 1996; 235 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: N10 at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,950 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.