FORT COLLINS, CO, USA
N4228U
Cessna 150D
During initial climb following takeoff on a cross-country flight, the aircraft failed to attain a sustained climb and impacted in a field approximately 2 miles from the departure end of the runway. Weather conditions at the time were temperature 92 degrees F, wind calm, and the airport elevation was 4,699 feet msl. The aircraft had been modified by STC to a tailwheel configuration. The Owner's Manual in the aircraft was for the wrong year and model. The aircraft was 32 pounds over maximum gross weight. The pilot was using 10 degrees flaps for takeoff. There are no performance charts for the use of flaps for takeoff and in the narrative portion of the Owner's Manual. The manual recommends that flaps not be used for takeoff from high altitude airports on hot days. In addition, the aircraft was out of annual, the pilot had a forged medical certificate, some work on the aircraft had been performed by the pilot and signed off and he did not possess a mechanic license, and the signatures on the spark plugs revealed the aircraft engine was not leaned for optimum performance.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 25, 1997, at 0945 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 150D (tail wheel conversion), N4228U, impacted in a field approximately 1 mile northwest of the departure end of runway 29 at Fort Collins Downtown Airpark, Fort Collins, Colorado, during initial climb following takeoff. The private pilot and his passenger received serious injuries and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this cross-country flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot stated he took off on runway 29 and that the airplane was climbing between 200 and 300 feet per minute when it quit climbing. He said he picked a field to land in but saw power lines in his path and lost airspeed clearing the lines. He further said that after clearing the lines he didn't have "enough altitude to make a good controlled landing." A certified flight instructor who witnessed the event related to the Investigator-in-Charge (IIC) that he was standing approximately 3,500 feet from the departure end of runway 29 and observed the aircraft climbing at an altitude of approximately 100 feet above the ground. He stated that as the aircraft passed by, he noted that the trailing edge flaps appeared to be extended about 10 degrees and the aircraft attitude was 5 to 7 degrees nose up. He said that as he watched the aircraft, it ceased climbing and the nose attitude increased. About 2,000 feet beyond the departure end of the runway, the aircraft had descended to about 50 feet above ground level and the nose attitude was continuing to increase. According to the flight instructor's observations, the aircraft then disappeared in "ground clutter" and a short time later he saw a cloud of dust. This witness stated that he proceeded to the crash site and when he arrived several people had already gathered and some were administering first aid to the two occupants. He said he "turned off the fuel, magnetos, and master electrical" and that emergency personnel arrived approximately 10 minutes later. INJURIES TO PERSONS Both occupants were transported to Poudre Valley Hospital, Fort Collins, Colorado. Both received serious injuries to the head and extremities as a result of the accident. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The 34 year old pilot held a private pilot license with a single engine land rating. He did not have an instrument rating. According to a copy of his medical certificate, which he provided, he held a 3rd class medical with vision limitations. The date of issue on the certificate was April 7, 1996. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot's last medical evaluation was conducted on April 7, 1993. The date of examination on the FAA records was confirmed by the doctor who administered the physical as April 7, 1993. According to information provided by the pilot, his last Biennial flight review was conducted 23 months before the accident in the accident aircraft. He could not provide a verifying flight instructor endorsement for the flight review and said he could not recall the name of the flight instructor. According to the pilot, he said he had approximately 343 hours of total flight time with 304 in the Cessna 150 tail wheel equipped aircraft. No logbooks were made available during the investigation. The pilot's recent experience was not provided on the NTSB pilot report of the accident, and the pilot failed to respond to repeated efforts to gain that information. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION According to the Certificate of Airworthiness found in the aircraft, the aircraft was certificated on December 5, 1963, with a standard airworthiness classification. The registration provided information that it was registered in the pilot's name on October 23, 1991. The Owners Manual found in the aircraft was for a 1966 model Cessna 150. The accident aircraft had been altered to a tail wheel configuration form its original design as a tricycle landing gear equipped aircraft. According to Cessna Aircraft Engineering, standard weight and balance information for the aircraft is not applicable when the aircraft has been altered to a tail wheel configuration. According to information provided in the aircraft records, an FAA Form 337 which refers to the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the conversion to a tail wheel aircraft, the maximum certified gross weight is 1,600 pounds and it has a total fuel capacity of 26 gallons. The STC for the tail wheel conversion was installed on February 11, 1983. The pilot said he had 26 gallons of fuel aboard at takeoff. This information was verified by fuel slips from the Fort Collins Downtown Airpark. According to the aircraft airframe logbook, the last annual inspection was performed on June 17, 1996. At that time, the total time in service on the airframe was recorded as 3,156 hours. The tachometer time recorded during the annual inspection was 2,826 hours. Time recorded from the aircraft during the on scene investigation was a tachometer time of 2,834 hours and Hobbs meter time of 1,189 hours. The last engine logbook entry was on June 17, 1996. The entry was documentation of an annual inspection. According to the logbook entry, total time in service was 3,156 hours, time since overhaul was 1,001, and the tachometer time was 2, 826 hours. The log states that the engine installed was a Continental O-200-A, serial number 4129-3-A. The propeller installed on the aircraft was a McCauley model 1A100MCM6948, serial number 48-39194. The last entry in the propeller log was entered on June 17, 1996, and depicts an annual inspection. Additionally, a review of the aircraft records provided information that the owner performed and signed completion of some maintenance work on the aircraft. According to the FAA, the pilot does not hold a airframe and powerplants mechanics license. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION According to the person on duty, who was operating the Fort Collins Downtown Airpark UNICOM, she did not talk to the aircraft and her recollection was that the winds were light and variable and runway 29 was in use when the accident aircraft departed. She did not recall the altimeter setting their instrument was displaying at the time, but the temperature was 92 degrees. The airport meteorological display is not recorded and it is not equipped with an automated weather observation station. AERODROME INFORMATION Fort Collins Downtown Airpark is a privately owned public airport. Airport elevation is 4,935 feet and runways consist of 11/29 which are 4,699 feet in length and 48 feet wide. The landing surface is asphalt. The runways are lighted from dusk to dawn and there are no taxiway lights. There are precision approach lights on runway 29 and the airport has a non directional beacon on the field. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The accident site was an open flat field located approximately 2 miles from the departure end of runway 29. It was covered by approximately one inch of uniform vegetation in the form of field grass. The surface was firm and smooth. Power lines approximately 30 feet above ground level bordered the eastern edge of the field. There were no other obstructions. The first ground mark found was an arcing scrape approximately 6 inches wide and 5 feet long. At the trailing end of the mark there was a gouge 2 feet to the left which contained pieces of nose cowl material and a knife like slice in the ground. The remaining 120 feet distance to the aircraft was general dishevel of the surface material with portions of Plexiglas, aircraft skin, and one main landing gear assembly scattered throughout The track of witness marks from the initial ground contact was oriented on a magnetic heading of 280 degrees. The aircraft was on a heading of 085 degrees. The structure from the firewall forward was bent downward approximately 10 degrees with the top engine mounts separated at the firewall and the bottom mounts buckled rearward. The propeller nose dome was undamaged and the top cowl remained in place The bottom cowl was crushed upward and propeller blade number one was bent aft 120 degrees at about 60 percent of its span. It contained both chordwise and longitudinal scarring. Propeller blade number 2 was twisted toward low pitch from the root outboard with the outer 15 inches bent in an 'S' curve. This blade contained chordwise gouges and scarring. The windscreen was missing and both sun visors were bent down and forward. The right door was separated at the top hinge and buckled from top toward the bottom. The right side of the fuselage was buckled aft and up. There was an inward buckle at the right side fuselage empennage attach point and the bottom of the empennage was crushed upward. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers were not damaged. The left door was crushed upward at the aft bottom of the door and the left main landing gear was separated and laying approximately 14 feet east of the leading edge of the left wing tip. There was a 10 inch split on the left side of the aircraft at the fuselage empennage attach point which ran from the top center of the empennage to the bottom center. The left bottom portion of the empennage was crushed up and forward. The wings remained attached as did the lift struts. The right wing tip cap was separated and the outer portion of the right aileron was torn off. The tip cap was located in the scatter pattern about halfway between the gouge and the aircraft. The right flap was down ten degrees according to measurement and the fuel filler cap was in place and locked down. The left wing was intact. The wing tip was bent upward, the flap was down ten degrees by measurement, and the fuel filler cap was in place and locked down. There was fuel leakage through the vent system. Both seats remained attached and both seat belts were intact and attached. Shoulder harnesses were not installed. The left control yoke was displaced downward and the right control yoke was undamaged. The instrument panel was intact. The floor under both seats was crushed upward. For additional cockpit and cabin documentation see Supplements A and B. The contents of the aircraft were removed and weighed as follows: Large blue duffel bag 37 pounds Medium blue duffel bag 7 pounds White paper bag 9 pounds Three small bags 23 pounds The engine was examined by the IIC with an FAA airworthiness inspector in attendance. No evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction was found; however, the spark plug electrodes were coated with an oily black carbon deposit which was uniform on all plugs. TESTS AND RESEARCH Aircraft weight was calculated as follows: Empty weight 1,033 lbs. Oil (6 qts. ) 11 lbs. Fuel (26 gallons @ 6lb. Gallon) 156 lbs. Pilot 175 lbs. (According to the pilot's medical certificate) Passenger 80 lbs. Baggage 76 lbs. Total weight 1,531 lbs. Using the Owner's Manual found in the aircraft, weight and balance was calculated by the IIC and found to be within the operating envelope. It was also found that the correct Owner's Manual for the aircraft listed the maximum gross weight as 1,500 pounds and the empty weight as 1,055 pounds. According to the performance section of the Owner's Manual, the takeoff distance for a no flap takeoff at the calculated takeoff weight at 5,000 feet msl, no wind, and 92 degrees Fahrenheit (F) should have been a takeoff roll of 1,226 feet, and 1,771 feet to clear a 50 foot obstacle. The pilot was using 10 degrees of flaps for this takeoff and there are no performance charts to calculate takeoff distance when flaps are lowered for takeoff. According to the Koch Chart for altitude and temperature effects, at 92 degrees and a pressure altitude of 5,000 feet, the normal takeoff distance will be increased by 140% and the rate of climb will be decreased by 66% from normal sea level values. According to performance data from the Owner's Manual, the maximum rate of climb for the aircraft was 391 feet per minute. It was calculated using the takeoff weight, 5,000 feet elevation, 92 degrees F, no wind, mixture control adjusted for optimum performance, and no flaps. The performance information provided no data for calculating climb performance with flaps lowered to any amount and proper engine fuel mixture leaning for altitude by the pilot is unknown. In addition, the pilot had the propeller repitched from 50" to 48." According to McCauley Propeller information, this would have improved climb performance slightly and deteriorated cruise performance. It also made performance data in the Owner's Manual less reliable. According to information provided by Cessna Aircraft, the stall speed wings level is lowered by approximately 6 knots when flaps are set at 10 degrees; however, the rate of climb using the conditions which were present is less than 100 feet per minute under optimum conditions. Although the performance section of the Owner's Manual provides no information for takeoff or climb with any degrees of flaps lowered, Section II of the manual titled Description and Operating Details, states the following: "Normal and obstacle clearance takeoffs are performed with flaps up. The use of 10 degrees flaps will shorten ground run approximately 10%, but this advantage is lost in the climb to a 50 foot obstacle. Therefore the use of 10 degrees flap is reserved for minimum ground runs or for takeoff from soft or rough fields with no obstacles ahead. " "If 10 degrees flaps are used in ground runs, it is preferable to leave them extended rather than retract them in the climb to the obstacle. The exception to this rule would be in a high altitude takeoff in hot weather where climb would be marginal with flaps 10 degrees." ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The aircraft was verbally released to Beegles Aircraft Services, Greeley, Colorado, on July 25, 1997, as per Mr. Dennis Jason, the insurance adjuster assigned the claim. No parts were retained.
Inadequate preflight planning by loading the aircraft over the maximum certificated gross weight, failure to follow procedures and directives by using flaps for takeoff and failing to properly lean the engine for optimum power, and stalling the aircraft. Factors were: Poor judgement by the pilot in operating the aircraft without a current annual inspection, for forging his medical certificate, and failing to obtain and use the proper Owner's Manual for the aircraft. Also, factors were insufficient requirements for the Owner's Manual by the FAA and inadequate aircraft manual information by the manufacturer.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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