ERA22LA308

Factual narrative

On July 13, 2022, about 1157 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150F, N8761G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Alexandria, New Jersey. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.   According to the pilot, during the initial takeoff roll “something didn’t feel right,” and she noticed she was still not airborne further down the runway than normal. She aborted the takeoff, taxied to a run-up area, and completed a second engine run-up; there were no abnormalities, and the engine rpm was within normal range. She taxied back to runway 7 and departed. During takeoff the airplane was not climbing as expected. The pilot was able to clear the trees but not a set of transmission powerlines ahead, so she performed a forced landing before reaching the powerlines. During the landing roll the airplane impacted uneven terrain and came to rest upright, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage.   Postaccident examination of the engine revealed the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve was stuck closed and could not be opened. There was no heat or impact damage noted. Thumb compression was obtained on cylinder Nos. 1, 2, and 3; no compression was obtained on No. 4. No additional evidence indicated any preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane’s maintenance logs indicate that the engine passed a cylinder compression check at the last annual inspection, about 10 months before the accident. The pilot reported that during takeoff roll the airplane was not performing as normal. The pilot aborted the takeoff, completed an additional engine run-up and no anomalies were noted. The pilot performed a second takeoff, and the airplane did not gain sufficient altitude to clear powerlines along the flight path. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a field and the airplane sustained substantial damage when it contacted the rough terrain. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve was stuck closed. No additional evidence indicated any preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, the stuck valve likely caused the partial loss of engine power. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• — Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-Recip eng cyl section-Malfunction