# Accident 19981002027989A: Cessna 150M, Cumberland, MD, October 2, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 2, 1998, 12:30 local time
- Place: Cumberland, MD
- Airport: Cumberland Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: XUMA
- Location: 39.6399° N, 78.7702° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.6399&lon=-78.7702&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9273U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9273U-2000-04-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 150M (registry code 2071830, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 150M
- Reported engine: CONT O200A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 200 total, 125 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA001) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981002027989A

## Narrative

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

ON OCTOBER 2, 1998, ABOUT 1230 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 150M, N9273U, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHILE LANDING AT THE GREATER CUMBERLAND AIRPORT, CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT THAT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. AN INSPECTOR FROM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA), REPORTED THAT THE PILOT HAD NOT FLOWN RECENTLY, AND HAD RECEIVED 10 HOURS OF DUAL INSTRUCTION TO RAGAIN PROFICIENCY. THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT FOLLOWING THE DUAL INSTRUCTION. THE PILOT HAD REMAINED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN PRACTICING TAKEOFFS AND LANDING ON RUNWAY 23. THE FAA INSPECTOR FURTHER ADDED THAT THE WINDS WERE FORECAST TO REMAIN LIGHT AND ALL AIRPLANES WERE USING RUNWAY 23. JUST AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRPLANE WAS STRUCK BY A GUST OF WIND FROM THE LEFT. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT, AND THE LEFT WING RAISED UP. THE RIGHT WING CONTACTED THE GROUND AND THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED OVER AND COME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN. THE FAA INSPECTOR REPORTED THAT A CHECK OF THE RECORDED WEATHER AT THE AIRPORT REVEALED THE WINDS HAD BEEN LESS THAN 5 KNOTS ALL DAY LONG. A 5 MINUTE PERIOD WAS FOUND WHERE THE WINDS WERE FROM 140 DEGREES WITH PEAK GUSTS OF ABOUT 20 KNOTS, WHICH OCCURRED DURING THE TIME THE PILOT WAS LANDING. FOLLOWING THE GUTS, THE WINDS RETURNED TO THEIR LOWER PREVIOUS VALUE. ACORDING TO THE CESSNA 150M OWNERS MANUAL, THE MAXIMUM DEMONSTRATED CROSSWING WAS 13 KNOTS. THE FAA INSPECTOR REPORTED THAT THE PILOT HAD A TOTAL FLIGHT TIME OF ABOUT 200 HOURS. (-23) UPON LANDING RUNWAY 23 WINDS GUSTED 12/19 MPH @270 (WINDS CALM AT DEPARTURE) AIRCRAFT FLIPPED ON BACK WITH NO INJURIES. (.4) JUST AS THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON RUNWAY 23, THERE WAS MOMENTARY INCREASE IN THE WIND VELOCITY.  THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE RUNWAY AND NOSED OVER.  THE PILOT WITH A TOTAL TIME OF ABOUT 200 HOURS HAD A BREAK OF SEVERAL YEARS IN HIS FLYING AND HAD RECENTLY RECEIVED 10 HOURS OF DUAL INSTRUCTION.  THIS WAS HIS FIRST SOLO FLIGHT FOLLOWING THE DUAL INSTRUCTION FLIGHTS.  THE WINDS WHICH HAD BEEN FROM 270 DEGREES AT LESS THAN 5 KNOTS, INCREASED TO 12 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 20 KNOTS FOR ABOUT A 5 MINUTE PERIOD AND THEN RETURNED TO THEIR PREVIOUS VALUE.  THE FAA REPORTED THE HIGHER WINDS WER E NOT FORECAST AND ONLY LASTED ABOUT 5 MINUTES. THE CROSSWIND COMPONENT OF A 20 KNOT WIND, 40 DEGREES FROM THE RUNWAY WAS COMPUTED AT 13 KNOTS.

## 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 NYC99LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA001), Oct 2, 1998: Cessna 150M (N9273U), Wiley Ford, WV, substantial damage. Probable cause: Was the failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during an unforecast change in wind velocity. Factors were the gusts and the lack of recent experience for the pilot.

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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