Cessna 150M accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona, September 4, 2023
On September 4, 2023 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 150M, registered N9328U, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Marble Canyon, Arizona (Marble Canyon 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 pilot’s loss of airplane control after an encounter with windshear during takeoff which resulted in collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2023 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Marble Canyon, Arizona · Marble Canyon · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M, built 1976 · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9328U · registry record · serial 15078277
- 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 while departing, the airplane climbed to an altitude of 20 feet above the ground. The airspeed began decreasing, and the airplane started descending. The pilot pitched down as the stall warning sounded. The airplane impacted the terrain, collapsing the nose wheel and substantially damaging the left wing. The pilot stated the airplane had encountered windshear and that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Climb rate › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,032 hours in all; 194 in this make and model; 237 in the last 90 days; 108 in the last 30 days; 882 as pilot in command; 240 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 30, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine sea
- Flight time: 80 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 46 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 7, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,614.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 2023; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 506 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Noki San Juan UT at 4:00 pm
- Destination: L41 Marble Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,715 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KPGA, 11 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KPGA 041753Z AUTO VRB06KT 10SM FEW075 26/11 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP081 T02610106 10272 20206 50002
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 10, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9328U on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 150 7,994 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Marble Canyon Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,426 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR23LA335.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.