Probable cause
Maintenance personnel's improper installation of the elevator bolt, which resulted in a loss of elevator control during landing.
NTSB analysis
The private pilot stated that, during the landing flare at the conclusion of a local flight, the airplane's nose "shot up drastically." The pilot "gently" pressed forward on the controls to lower the nose, and the airplane pitched down and impacted the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that a bolt that attached the left elevator to the control system was not installed, and the FAA inspector reported that the bolt was found undamaged inside the elevator tip. According to the pilot, maintenance personnel had recently removed the left elevator, and it is likely that they failed to properly secure the bolt when they reinstalled the elevator.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA184 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- May 1, 2016
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Ponca City, Oklahoma
- Nearest airport
- Ponca City Regional Airport (PNC)
- Highest injury
- Serious
- Serious injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 150F
- N-number
- N8619G
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1965
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.