NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA10LA298
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
A partial loss of power during takeoff for undetermined reasons.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 5, 2010, about 1600 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150M, N2990V, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a forced landing, following a partial loss of engine power during initial climb after takeoff, in Pahokee, Florida. The certificated flight instructor and certificated private pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which departed from Palm Beach County Glades Airport (PHK), Pahokee, Florida, destined for Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA), Lantana, Florida. No flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the flight instructor, during the accident flight he was giving the private pilot a flight review. The flight had originated at LNA where the airplane was based. It departed between 1420 and 1430, and then stayed in the traffic pattern for one circuit, after which, the private pilot performed a landing before proceeding to PHK. After arrival at PHK the private pilot performed a "soft field landing" on runway 35. After the landing, the airplane was then taxied back to runway 35 and the private pilot performed a "short field takeoff", made one circuit of the traffic pattern, and performed another "soft field landing" on runway 35. The airplane was then taxied to the ramp and was refueled. A total of 15 gallons of 100LL fuel was added. After fueling, a preflight inspection of the airplane was performed, and the fuel tanks and fuel strainer were checked for contaminants. None were found. Afterwards, the airplane was taxied to the runway where an engine run-up was performed. During the run-up when checking the right magneto, the rpm drop was approximately 200 rpm. The mixture was leaned, the engine was run-up, and then afterward, the rpm drop for the right magneto was less than 150 rpm. The private pilot then performed a "short field takeoff" and applied full power and released the brakes. After taking off, at approximately 150 feet above mean sea level, the engine began to lose power. The engine was "running smoothly" but would not develop full power. Carburetor heat was applied, and the engine rpm increased slightly then decreased. The flight instructor then took control of the airplane and maneuvered the airplane towards a levee. He hoped to land on it but was unable to reach it. Instead he landed in sugar cane at the edge of a ditch. After making contact with the sugar cane, the airplane's nose gear separated from its mounting location. The airplane then yawed to the right, and the left wing tip made contact with the ground.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
According to FAA and pilot records, the flight instructor held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine-land, multi-engine-land, and instrument airplane. His most recent application for a FAA first-class medical certificate was on February 10, 2010. He reported 587 total hours of flight experience. According to FAA records and pilot records, the private pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine-land. His most recent application for a FAA third-class medical certificate was on March 4, 2009. He reported 225 total hours of flight experience.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
According to FAA records the airplane was manufactured in 1974. According to airplane maintenance records, the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on October 8, 2009. At the time of the inspection, it had accumulated 8000 total hours of operation.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
A weather observation taken about 9 minutes after the accident, at Okeechobee County Airport (OBE), located approximately 30 nautical miles north of the accident site included; wind at 140 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 4,400 feet, temperature 35 degrees C, Dew point 26 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.98 inches of mercury.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
Examination of the wreckage by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors revealed that the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer were substantially damaged. There was no evidence of any preimpact malfunctions or failures of the engine, or airplane. The engine's crankshaft could be rotated by hand, and continuity was established throughout the drive train. Both magnetos were functional, the spark plugs appeared normal, and fuel was present in the fuel system.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
At the time of the accident the temperature in the local area was 35 degrees C and the dew point was 26 degrees C. Application of these temperatures to a carburetor icing probability chart did not reveal any conclusive evidence that carburetor ice may have contributed to the accident. Post recovery examination of the carburetor by a FAA certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic also did not reveal any anomalies. The throttle control worked smoothly, the mixture functioned properly, and there was gas in the float bowl. Further examination also revealed that the float assembly and the needle valve functioned properly, there were no contaminants in the carburetor, and there were no leaks in the gaskets. The airplane was taxied to the runway where an engine run-up was performed. During the run-up, when checking the right magneto, the rpm drop was approximately 200 rpm. The mixture was leaned, the engine was run-up, and the rpm drop for the right magneto was less than 150 rpm. After taking off, about 150 feet above mean sea level, the engine began to lose power, although it was running smoothly. Carburetor heat was applied, and the engine rpm increased slightly, then decreased. The flight instructor then took control of the airplane and maneuvered the airplane toward a levee but was unable to reach it. Instead he landed in sugar cane at the edge of a ditch and the airplane's nose gear separated from its mounting location. The airplane then yawed to the right and the left wing tip contacted the ground and was substantially damaged. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preimpact failures or malfunctions. At the time of the accident the temperature and the dew point were not conducive to carburetor icing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Power plant-(general)-Not specified - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2010_ERA10LA298.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (icing, maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2023 · Faculty research project
Reconfigurable Guidance and Control Systems for Emerging On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (OSAM) Space Vehicles
Dynamic response to emergent situations is a necessity in the on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (OSAM) field, because traditional on-orbit guidance and control (G&C) cannot respond effic…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2019 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Satellite Maintenance: An Opportunity to Minimize the Kessler Effect
Recently, there has been an emphasis on the growing problem of orbital debris. While the advantages of placing satellites into space are numerous, advances in satellite technology combined with the gr…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2015 · Conference paper
The Implementation of Safety Management Systems in Maintenance Operations
Literature for Safety Management Systems (SMS) that apply to flight operations is abundant, but there is a limited supply of SMS-related literature for maintenance operations.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2026 · Journal article (IJAAA)
From Reactive to Predictive: A hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework for Data-Driven Maintenance in Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments
Modern aviation maintenance operates within increasingly data-intensive technological environments, yet the operational integration of predictive maintenance into routine decision-making remains incon…
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Contractor Report (CR)
Icing Physics Studies Using the 3D SIDRM Test Article: 2023 Icing Tests Analysis
In-flight icing is an important safety issue and is a factor that affects aircraft design and performance. Newer regulations are driving a need for improvements in airframe and engine icing simulation…
- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for UAV-Assisted 5G Network Slicing: A Comparative Study of MAPPO, MADDPG, and MADQN
The growing demand for robust, scalable wireless networks in the 5G-and-beyond era has led to the deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as mobile base stations to enhance coverage in dense urb…
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