BONNER SPRINGS, KS, USA
N11143
Cessna 150L
The airplane collided with a telephone pole and terrain during an aborted landing from a (1,004' x 55') upsloping grass field. The pilot stated the airplane bounced on landing, and he and the passenger were hit in the head with a car fender brace that he had in the back of the airplane. The pilot stated he 'blacked out' temporarily and when he regained consciousness, he noticed his passenger slumped over. He stated he was afraid he was going to hit the silo at the end of the field so he applied full power and tried to gain airspeed. The airplane contacted trees off the end of the runway. The pilot stated the landing was being made with a 14 knot quartering tailwind. The pilot stated he always landed to the west (uphill) and took off to the east (downhill). A witness reported the airplane touched down long and bounced prior to him hearing an increase in engine power.
On May 2, 1999, at 1555 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 150L, N11143, operated by a private pilot collided with a telephone pole and the terrain during an aborted landing from a grass field in Bonner Springs, Kansas. The pilot and a passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight originated from the Kansas City Downtown Airport, Kansas City, Missouri, at 1530 cdt. A witness to the accident stated he saw the airplane as it approached the field and it looked higher then normal. He stated the airplane touched down half-way up the hill which was 30 to 60 yards further then normal. He stated the airplane bounced six to eight feet in the air. He reported the right wing dropped and the airplane began drifting toward the road. The airplane rolled for 5 to 10 seconds then he heard the engine power increase. The airplane then became airborne and it passed between the treeline and the silo. The airplane then descended to impact with the terrain. Prior to impacting the terrain, the airplane traveled over both the north and south lanes of Highway K-7. The left wing of the airplane contacted a telephone pole at an altitude of approximately 50 feet above the ground. The airplane then contacted trees in a hedgerow along the west side of the highway. The pilot reported in NTSB Form 6120.1/2, that he was landing the airplane with a 14 knot wind out of the east. The landing was being made to the west on the grass field. He reported he touched down at 55 miles per hour "flaring into the hill." He reported the airplane bounced on touchdown and that both he and his passenger were struck in the back of the head by a fender brace which he was carrying in the back of the airplane. He stated that "We were both render[ed] unconscious for the remainder of the accident." He stated he made the decision to abort the landing and the airplane hit trees approximately 100 feet from the west end of the runway. The passenger reported that he could not recall whether or not he was struck in the head by the fender brace. The pilot was interviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration. During an interview on May 4, 1999, the pilot reported he was landing uphill using the slope of the field to slow down. He stated the airplane bounced too hard during the flare and a car part in the back of the airplane struck him and his passenger in the back of the head. The pilot stated he "blacked out" temporarily and when he regained consciousness, he noticed his passenger slumped over. He stated he was afraid he was going to hit the silo at the end of the field so he applied full power and tried to gain airspeed. The pilot was making a landing in a field next to the Cottonwood RV Campground in Bonner Springs. The field being used was a east/west mowed grass field, approximately 1,004 feet in length and 55 feet wide. The landing was being made to the west. The first 380 feet at the east end of the field slopes up at an approximate 15 degree angle. The field then levels off. A 14 foot tall silo is located on the field approximately 20 feet from the west end. The silo is 46 feet from the south edge of the mowed area. The pilot was landing the airplane to the west. The 1654 cdt weather observation at the Kansas City-Downtown Airport, 15 miles east-northeast of the accident site, reported the winds were from 070 degrees magnetic, at 13 knots gusting to 21 knots. The pilot stated he had landed on this field 8 to 10 times and he always took off going downhill (east) and landed going uphill (west).
the pilot's failure to obtain sufficient altitude during the aborted landing to clear obstacles at the end of the field. Factors associated with the accident were poor preflight planning/preparation, the tailwind, the telephone pole, and the trees.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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