Cessna 150B accident near Sweet Home, Oregon, October 23, 1999
On October 23, 1999 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150B, registered N1252Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sweet Home, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Carburetor heat was not used prior to takeoff. Carburetor icing conditions and high vegetation were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1999 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sweet Home, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150B · all 150Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1252Y · no longer on the register · serial 15059652
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that prior to takeoff, the engine was idling for about five minutes while he programmed his GPS. The pilot then initiated the takeoff. During the climb, the airplane attained an altitude of about 300 - 400 feet when the engine lost power. The pilot pushed the nose down to establish the best glide. During the turn back in an attempt to land on the runway, the pilot realized that he would not make it and diverted to a nearby field. During the descent, the pilot pushed the mixture to rich and applied carburetor heat, however, the engine would not start. During the landing roll in the field that was covered with berry vines, the airplane collided with the vines, slid about 30 feet, and spun around about 150 degrees to the left before coming to rest. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time. The carburetor icing probability chart for the reported temperature and dew point, indicate that the aircraft was operating in the range of serious icing - cruise or climb power.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 950 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 800 as pilot in command; 400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,030 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 1999; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: S30 Lebanon OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from EUG, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.