Cessna 150 accident near Clarksville, Maryland, February 20, 1997
On February 20, 1997 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N11438, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clarksville, Maryland (Haysfield). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control and failure to abort the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1997 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksville, Maryland · Haysfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N11438 · no longer on the register · serial 15075421
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft veered off the runway during the takeoff roll and collided with trees. According to the pilot, 'we did a normal run up at the point half way up the hill on runway 13. Everything looked okay, controls worked okay, carburetor heat and magnetos checked okay. We taxied to the top of the hill and attempted to take off. Within seconds after we started to roll on runway 13, the airplane veered to the left. I applied full right rudder. The airplane straightened out but it had gone too far left. With the right pedal on the floor, the airplane had straightened out fairly close to a line of small pine trees on the left side of the runway. The airplane continued parallel to the trees for about 100 feet even though I continued full right rudder. Finally, the airplane turned left into the trees.' The pilot further stated that he 'should have pulled power immediately when [the] airplane went out of control.'
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: 217 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 175 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,562 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 22, 1996; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MD24 at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°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.