# Accident 19960725019779A: Cessna 150L, Philippi, WV, July 25, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 25, 1996, 19:48 local time
- Place: Philippi, WV
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.1502° N, 80.0400° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.1502&lon=-80.0400&mi=10
- Aircraft: N21953, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N21953-1998-05-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 150L (registry code 2071826, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150l) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 150L
- Reported engine: CONT O200A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD96LA122](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD96LA122) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960725019779A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A FIELD. (.4) A WITNESS STATED THAT SHE SAW THE PILOT TAXI UP, GET OUT OF THE AIRPLANE, AND ASKED FOR FUEL. SHE STATED THAT SHE THOUGHT SHE HAD NOTED A SMELL OF ALCOHOL ON HIS BREATH, BUT WAS NOT SURE. AS THE PILOT WAS LEAVING, THE WITNESS TOLD THE PILOT THAT THE NOSE TIRE LOOKED AS IF IT WAS FLAT, BUT THE PILOT APPEARED TO IGNORED HER. ALSO, ANOTHER WITNESS AT THE AIRPORT WONDERED IF THE PILOT HAD BEEN DRINKING. ONE OF THE WITNESSES STATED THAT ON TAKEOFF, THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE SEEMED EXCESSIVELY HIGH. BOTH WITNESSES THOUGHT THE AIRPLANE WAS GOING TO STALL. MINUTES LATER, WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE FLYING LOW OVER THE PILOT'S SON'S HOUSE. AFTER MAKING ONE PASS AND RETURNING, WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY SAW THE AIRPLANE IMPACT THE TOP OF A TREE, FLY OUT OF SIGHT, AND THEN HEARD THE SOUND OF AN IMPACT. THE SON ARRIVED ON SCENE, REMOVED THE PILOT FROM THE WRECKAGE, AND ATTEMPTED CPR, BUT TO NO AVAIL. TOXICOLOGY TESTS SHOWED THE PILOT'S BLOOD AND URINE HAD ALCOHOL LEVELS OF 123 MG/DL AND 206 MG/DL, RESPECTIVELY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB IAD96LA122](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD96LA122), Jul 25, 1996: Cessna 150L (N21953), Philippi, WV, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol, his resultant improper planning/decision, and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from trees, while maneuvering at…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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