Cessna 150F accident near Tillamook, Oregon, March 17, 2010
On March 17, 2010 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N7854F, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Tillamook, Oregon (Tillamook Airport). 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 partial loss of engine power during climb to cruise due to carburetor icing and the pilot's delay in using carburetor heat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2010 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Tillamook, Oregon · Tillamook Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7854F · no longer on the register · serial 15063954
- 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 as he configured the airplane in a level attitude for cruise flight, the engine's rpm began to decrease and he applied carburetor heat with no effect noted. The pilot subsequently turned the airplane back towards the airport to land. As he approached the runway, he had raise the airplane's nose in an effort to avoid an airport perimeter fence. The airplane stalled and impacted soft terrain short of the runway. The airplane came to rest inverted; the aft fuselage and the vertical stabilizer were bent. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact anomalies with the engine or airframe that would have prevented normal operation. The temperature and dewpoint at the time of the flight were both 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Plotting these temperatures on a carburetor icing chart indicated the conditions were conducive to serious icing at cruise 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Soft › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 325 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 29, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TMK Tillamook OR at 5:00 pm
- Destination: TMK Tillamook OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.56 inHg
- Observation at 5:33 pm from TMK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.