EAST MORICHES, NY, USA
N103DP
Cessna 150
With the student pilot in the left seat, and the private pilot in the right seat, the airplane departed on a local flight. Upon returning to the airport, the student pilot completed the downwind and base leg portions of the traffic pattern. On final, the airplane was high, and the pilot selected full flaps for the student pilot. The airplane crossed the threshold, and continued to float down the runway. The student pilot flared the airplane, it went out of alignment with the runway, and then touched down hard in a nose high attitude. The pilot announced he had the controls, and aborted the landing, but he did not reposition the flaps. The airplane reached approximately 200 feet agl before descending into the trees. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have contributed to the accident. According to the pilot's operating handbook, in a balked landing, the wing flaps setting should be reduced to 20 degrees immediately after full power is applied.
On August 10, 2000, at 1455 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 150, N103DP, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees after an aborted landing at the Lufker Airport, East Moriches, New York. The certificated private pilot and student pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, on the day of the accident, he was securing his own airplane after completing a cross-country flight, when the student pilot asked him to go fly. The pilot added that the student had just soloed, and was excited about his progression. The pilot completed securing his own airplane, and then walked over to the accident airplane. When he arrived, he saw that the student pilot was already in the left seat. The pilot wanted to ask him to move to the right seat, but did not. He did not want to "dampen" the student pilot's day. The pilot boarded the airplane, the student pilot started the engine, and the airplane departed. Upon returning to the airport, the student pilot's first attempt to enter the traffic pattern was not set up properly. The student pilot aborted the entry, and successfully maneuvered the airplane onto the downwind leg during his second attempt. The student pilot completed the downwind and base leg portions of the traffic pattern without incident. On final, the airplane was high, and the pilot selected full flaps for the student pilot. The airplane crossed the threshold, and continued to float down the runway. The student pilot flared the airplane, and the airplane went out of alignment with the runway before touching down hard in a nose high attitude. The pilot announced he had the controls. He selected carburetor heat to "OFF," advanced the throttles to "FULL," and got the nose of the airplane down. He aborted the landing, but did not reposition the flaps. The pilot estimated the airplane reached approximately 200 feet agl before descending into the trees. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have contributed to the accident. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, after the pilot aborted the landing, the airplane cleared a small shopping center south of the airport, and descended into a wooded area. When he examined the wreckage, he found the flaps in the full down position. According to the pilot's operating handbook, "In a balked landing (go-around) climb, the wing flaps setting should be reduced to 20 degrees immediately after full power is applied. Upon reaching a safe airspeed, the flaps should be slowly retracted to the full up position."
The pilot's failure to maintain a climb during climbout. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to reconfigure the flaps for the aborted landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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