RIMROCK, AZ, USA
N2675J
Cessna 150G
The airplane touched down approximately 3/4 of the way down the 2,200-foot-long runway. The pilot proceeded to abort the landing, applied full power, and left in 30 degrees of flaps. The airplane became airborne, climbed to about 200 feet, stalled, and collided with a 15-foot-high embankment located at the departure end of the runway. According to the airframe manufacturer's owner's manual for this airplane, flap deflections of 30 and 40 degrees are not recommended at any time for takeoff. The airframe and engine were examined with no discrepancies noted.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 5, 1999, at 1430 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 150G, N2675J, collided with an embankment after aborting a landing on runway 5 at a private dirt airstrip in Rimrock, Arizona. The airplane, operated by William Mosley Trustee and borrowed by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated and was scheduled to terminate at the accident airport. Observed wind conditions at the time of the accident were from the southwest at 10-20 knots. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector interviewed the spouse. She stated that the pilot was only planning on doing some pattern work for approximately 30 minutes. Witnesses reported that the pilot landed approximately 3/4 of the way down the 2,200-foot-long runway. After touchdown the pilot executed an aborted landing. Witnesses reported that the airplane stalled and collided with a 15-foot-high embankment located at the departure end of the runway. They stated that there were no discrepancies noted with the sound of the engine, and it appeared to be at full power when the pilot initiated the go-around. One witness stated that the pilot had "landed long" and did not have enough room to stop safely. He stated that he heard the pilot add power to abort the landing, and saw him takeoff again. The witness noted that the flaps were fully extended, but the airplane was gaining altitude. He then heard the engine quit and saw the airplane roll slightly to the right, back to the left, and subsequently nose into the embankment. According to the owner, there were 13 gallons of auto gas onboard the airplane at the time of the accident. The airplane holds and was placarded with an STC for the use of auto gas. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot holds a private pilot certificate with an airplane rating for single engine land that was issued on May 3, 1963. The pilot received a third-class medical on March 30, 1999, with limitations for near vision. The Safety Board reviewed the pilot's logbook, which indicated that this was the second logbook. The second logbook carried over 447.47 hours of total flight time from the first logbook. A biennial flight review was conducted on March 13, 1999, in the accident airplane. The pilot had accrued 486.62 total hours of flight time, approximately 39.15 hours since June 19, 1984, with 8.6 hours in the accident airplane. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION Examination of the logbooks revealed that the annual was performed on October 1, 1998. The airplane total time was 3,360.29 hours. At the time of the accident the tachometer read 3,461.12. The engine had accrued 1,269.93 hours since major overhaul. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane was examined on-scene by a FAA inspector. He stated that the right tank was full of fuel, and the left tank had approximately 2 inches of fuel. A total of 11 gallons was drained from the airplane at the accident site. The FAA inspector stated that the throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat controls were in the full forward position. The fuel selector was selected to the ON position, and he visually saw the flaps indicating 30 degrees. The pointer in the cockpit was broken; however, when he moved the flap handle it was not restricted. The right wing was bent downward at the strut attachment point, with the leading edge of the wingtip being damaged. The left wing was intact with wingtip damage. The fuselage, aft of the passenger compartment, was broken in a downward direction. The nose gear was broken off and found lying underneath the cockpit, and the main landing gear was still attached. The engine was found to be undamaged; however, the engine mounts were broken. One of the propeller blades was bent aft and found under the nose of the airplane with approximately 8 inches from the tip inboard broken off and remote from the propeller blade. A portion of the face side of the blade was missing paint, and the cambered side exhibited chordwise scratching. The other blade was twisted forward with chordwise scratching on the tip of the face side and missing paint on the cambered side. TESTS AND RESEARCH An FAA inspector supervised an airframe and powerplant inspection with manufacturer's representatives from Cessna Aircraft Company and Teledyne Continental Motors, who are parties to the investigation. The inspections took place at Air Transport, Phoenix, Arizona, on June 8, 1999. Examination of the airframe revealed that shoulder harnesses for this model were an optional installation and were not installed on the accident airplane. According to the manufacturer, the measured extension of the flap actuator jackscrew indicated the flaps were set at 30 degrees. An excerpt from the owner's manual indicates that flap deflections of 30 and 40 degrees are not recommended at anytime for takeoff. Flight control surfaces were intact and attached to their respective attach points. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to the tail section. The elevator trim tab was positioned for takeoff. No further discrepancies were noted with the airframe. The propeller was removed and the crankshaft was manually rotated. Crankshaft rotation produced thumb compression in each cylinder. The top No.'s 1, 2, and 4 ignition leads were broken; however, when the crankshaft was rotated the magnetos produced spark at the remaining ignition leads. The right muffler had black staining on it. The manufacturer's representative stated that oil or battery fluid had leaked on to it while the muffler was hot. No further discrepancies were noted.
The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point and to maintain airspeed during the aborted landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall. A factor was the pilot's failure to adjust the flaps for the attempted aborted landing in accordance with the owner's manual.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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