Cessna 150L accident near Towanda, Pennsylvania, August 9, 1998
On August 9, 1998 at about 1:35 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N19127, was destroyed in an accident near Towanda, Pennsylvania (Bradford County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to obtain adequate climb and his premature retraction of the flaps. A contributing factor was his inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1998 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Towanda, Pennsylvania · Bradford County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N19127 · no longer on the register · serial 15074187
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot conducted a local flight, and upon returning, entered a left downwind for Runway 5. While on final, the airplane was high and fast. Once over the runway, the pilot made three attempts to land the airplane, but with each attempt the airplane bounced back into the air. After the third bounce and approximately half way down the 3,200 foot runway, the pilot aborted the landing. At an airspeed of 50-60 mph, the pilot retracted the flaps to approximately 10 degrees, and started to anticipate difficulty clearing the trees 3/4 of a mile pass the departure end of the runway. The stall warning horn activated on several occasions, but was not on when the airplane entered the trees. The airplane's stall speed with 20 degrees of flaps was 49 mph, and 55 mph with 0 degrees of flaps. The maximum rate of climb airspeed was 76 mph.
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: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,106 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 23, 1998; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: N27
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 3,020 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 am from BGM, 43 miles away
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.