# Accident 19980906022689A: Cessna 150H, Hilltip Lakes, TX, September 6, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 6, 1998, 10:45 local time - Place: Hilltip Lakes, TX - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 31.0306° N, 96.1093° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.0306&lon=-96.1093&mi=10 - Aircraft: N22799, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N22799-1999-03-09) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 150H (registry code 2071818, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150h) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 150H - Reported engine: AMTR O200 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 103 total, 88 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW98LA386](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA386) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980906022689A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.4) ON SEPTEMBER 6, 1998, APPROXIMATELY 1045 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 150H AIRPLANE, N22799, OWNED AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE ABORTING TAKEOFF FROM AN UNIMPROVED GRASS FIELD NEAR HILLTOP LAKES, TEXAS. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDTIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM WEISER, TEXAS, AT 0925. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FOUND WHAT LOOKED TO BE THE GRASS FIELD HE WANTED TO VISIT AND ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO LAND. DURING THE LANDING FLARE THE PILOT "NOTICED THE GRASS WAS VERY TALL" BUT ELECTED TO COMPLETE THE LANDING. WHILE ON LANDING ROLL, THE PILOT NOTED THAT THE "DRAG FROM THE GRASS SEEMED GREATER THAN EXPECTED." {THE FAA REPORTED THAT THE LANDING AREA WAS NOT AN AIRSTRIP OR AIRPORT, RATHER AN UNIMPROVED GRASS FIELD ABOUT 100 FEET WIDE AND 2,500 FEET LONG.} AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL LANDING, THE PILOT DISCUSSED TAKING OFF FROM THE FIELD WITH HIS PASSENGER. SUBSEQUENTLY, TWO MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE TAKEOFF ATTEMPTS WERE MADE WHICH WERE ABORTED DUE TO THE AIRCRAFT NOT ACCELERATING. AFTER DISCUSSING THE SITUATION WITH HIS PASSENGER, THE PILOT ELECTED TO "GIVE IT ONE MORE TRY." ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT, THE AIRCRAFT "LIFTED OFF AT THE HALFWAY POINT", BUT THE PILOT REALIZED THAT THE "RATE OF CLIMB WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH." HE REPORTED THAT THE "NOSE COWLING WAS BLOCKING ANYVIEW OF THE TREES AHEAD", AND THE "GRASS HAD FORCED {THE AIRCRAFT} TO THE RIGHT AND TOWARD THE TREES ON THAT SIDE AT A SMALL ANGLE." THE PILOT DECIDED TO "ABORT" AND TRIED TO "REALIGN THE PLANE TO THE LEFT." HE "ADDED A SLIGHT BIT OF LEFT RUDDER THEN SLIGHT LEFT AILERON." FOLLOWING THESE INPUTS "THE ADVERSE YAW THEN DRAGGED THE RIGHT WING DOWN FROM AN ATTITUDE OF NO MORE THAN 20 FEET {AND} THE RIGHT WINGTIP IMPACTED" THE GROUND. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED "OVER ONTO ITS BACK", RESULTING IN STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE WINGS AND FUSELAGE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD ACCUMULATED 103 TOTAL FLIGHT HOURS, WITH ABOUT 6 TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS ON GRASS FIELDS DURING HIS TRAINING. (-23) MR. COLEMAN W. WOOD WAS PILOT IN COMMAND OF CE-150, N22799, OWNED BY MR. TOM MOONEY, WITH PASSENGER MR. L.L. (CHIP) LEACH ON-BOARD. HE LANDED TH E AIRCRAFT ON AN UNIMPROVED GRASS FIELD. HE THEM MADE THREE ATTEMPTS TO TAKE OFF FROM THE FIELD THAT WAS COVERED WITH TALL GRASS AND ANT HILLS. ON THE THIRD REJECTED TAKEOFF HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND CRASHED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. ## 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 FTW98LA386](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA386), Sep 6, 1998: Cessna 150H (N22799), Hilltop Lakes, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft during takeoff. Factors were the pilot's lack of experience in grass field operations, the unsuitable terrain for takeoff, and the pilot's… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.