Cessna 150M accident near Georgetown, Delaware, October 2, 1997
On October 2, 1997 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N63235, was substantially damaged in an accident near Georgetown, Delaware (Sussex County Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper recovery from the bounced landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 1997 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Georgetown, Delaware · Sussex County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63235 · no longer on the register · serial 15077193
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane bounced during landing touchdown on Runway 31. The student pilot initiated a go-around with minimal airspeed, deflecting the control wheel aft. The airplane entered a departure stall extremely close to the ground, and the CFI attempted a recovery immediately. The CFI assured the throttle was full forward, and the airplane continued in its stalled attitude to the ground.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 737 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 638 as pilot in command; 96 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 33N Cheswold DE
- Destination: GED
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,330 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:47 pm from DOV, 27 miles away
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.