NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN73FTE40
Registry · N3918U
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 150E
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19650401
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A48A03
Registrant of record
SUTTON GARY K
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Historical record (pre-1982)
NTSB recorded this accident in the pre-1982 coded-field schema — structured fields rather than free-text narrative. Decoded codes use established NTSB single-letter taxonomies; cause factors remain verbatim pending the Form 6120.4 codebook lookup.
Aircraft
CESSNA 150E · N3918U
Damage
Substantial
Craft type
Airplane
Classification
Accident
Light condition
Dawn
Weather
VMC
Phase of flight
Cruise — descent (EF)
Operator type
Personal/private
Airport
SKY RANCH
Kind of flying
A1
Weather at impact
Sky
BROKEN
Wind
260° / 10 kt
Temp
45° F
Aircraft history
Serial number
000015061318
Total time
3,109 hrs
Pilot
Certificate
Airline transport
Total hours
47
Age
25
Cause factors
- 64/C/79 C PILOT IN COMMAND FAILED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL Cause
- 80/L/BC L AIRPORTS/AIRWAYS/FACILITIES SNOW ON RUNWAY
Decoded against the NTSB Form 6120.4 cause-factor codebook (ct_Pre1982 table). Each row shows the raw triplet, modifier (Cause / Factor / etc.), category, and specific code.
Source: NTSB pre-1982 historical archive. Docket
3 3905.
Source file
NTSB_1972_3_3905.txt.
Modern CAROL record on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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