What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On November 13, 1998, at 0854 eastern standard time (EST), a Cessna 152, N5213B, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during a collision with trees and terrain following a loss of control during its initial climb from takeoff on runway 18 (4,002' x 60' dry asphalt) at the White County Airport, Monticello, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR part 91 instructional flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was seriously injured and the student pilot received minor injuries. The flight departed Monticello, Indiana, at 0854 EST. Witnesses reported observing the airplane enter a steep pitchup attitude near the end of the departure runway. According to the witness reports, the airplane rolled to the right shortly after pitching up. It descended vertically until colliding with the trees and terrain about 1/4-mile south/southest of the runway's departure threshold. (.4)the instructor pilot said he was going to demonstrate a short field takeoff from a soft field. After takeoff he said he pitched the airplane to its best rate of climb attitude. Once attaining the desired airspeed the pilot said he pitched the airplane up to attain its best angle of climb speed. Witnesses reported hearing an occupant in the accident airplane say, 'watch this takeoff' to a friend who was taxiing another airplane at the accident airport. The accident airplane lifted off the runway and remained in ground effect until passing over the clearway at the runway's departure end. Witnesses said the airplane pitched up steeply, rolled to the right and descended nose first into the trees and ground. The student pilot on the accident airplane said his instructor took the airplane off, leveled it about 3 to 5 feet above the runway and pitched it up to about 60-degrees. He said he heard the stall horn activate and recalled the airplane banking to the right and pitching down. The airplane collided with the trees and ground shortly after beginning its descent. The on-scene investigation revealed no anomalies with the airframe, flight control system or engine that would prevent flight. The wing flaps were in the retracted position. The pilot's operating handbook states that 10-degrees of flaps should be used during the short and soft field takeoff. (-23) on November 13, 1998, at approximately 0854 am eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N5213B, crashed after taking off on runway 18 at the White County Airport, Monticello, Indiana. The instructor received serious injuries and the student received only minor injuries from the crash. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash. The instructor was demonstrating a takeoff, IN which the aircraft would climb into ground effect and then maintain the ground effect until the end of the runway. Next he rotated the aircraft for a vx climb out at the end of the runway. The instructor pitched the aircraft to approximately 50 degrees nose up and did not lower the nose in time to prevent the aircraft from stalling. The aircraft climbed approximately 150 feet to 200 feet above the runway elevation prior to the stall. The right wing dropped first and the aircraft turned to the right. The aircraft descended into the trees and crashed approximately a quarter mile from th e departure end of runway 18 into the side of a ridge line south of the airport.
As the FAA filed it
ON NOVEMBER 13, 1998, AT 0854 EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST), A CESSNA 152, N5213B, PILOTED BY A COMMERCIAL PILOT, WAS DESTROYED DURING A COLLISION WITH TREES AND TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL DURING ITS INITIAL CLIMB FROM TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 18 (4,002' X 60' DRY ASPHALT) AT THE WHITE COUNTY AIRPORT, MONTICELLO, INDIANA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE 14 CFR PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND THE STUDENT PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED MONTICELLO, INDIANA, AT 0854 EST. WITNESSES REPORTED OBSERVING THE AIRPLANE ENTER A STEEP PITCHUP ATTITUDE NEAR THE END OF THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY. ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS REPORTS, THE AIRPLANE ROLLED TO THE RIGHT SHORTLY AFTER PITCHING UP. IT DESCENDED VERTICALLY UNTIL COLLIDING WITH THE TREES AND TERRAIN ABOUT 1/4-MILE SOUTH/SOUTHEST OF THE RUNWAY'S DEPARTURE THRESHOLD. (.4)THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT SAID HE WAS GOING TO DEMONSTRATE A SHORT FIELD TAKEOFF FROM A SOFT FIELD. AFTER TAKEOFF HE SAID HE PITCHED THE AIRPLANE TO ITS BEST RATE OF CLIMB ATTITUDE. ONCE ATTAINING THE DESIRED AIRSPEED THE PILOT SAID HE PITCHED THE AIRPLANE UP TO ATTAIN ITS BEST ANGLE OF CLIMB SPEED. WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING AN OCCUPANT IN THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE SAY, 'WATCH THIS TAKEOFF' TO A FRIEND WHO WAS TAXIING ANOTHER AIRPLANE AT THE ACCIDENT AIRPORT. THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY AND REMAINED IN GROUND EFFECT UNTIL PASSING OVER THE CLEARWAY AT THE RUNWAY'S DEPARTURE END. WITNESSES SAID THE AIRPLANE PITCHED UP STEEPLY, ROLLED TO THE RIGHT AND DESCENDED NOSE FIRST INTO THE TREES AND GROUND. THE STUDENT PILOT ON THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE SAID HIS INSTRUCTOR TOOK THE AIRPLANE OFF, LEVELED IT ABOUT 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY AND PITCHED IT UP TO ABOUT 60-DEGREES. HE SAID HE HEARD THE STALL HORN ACTIVATE AND RECALLED THE AIRPLANE BANKING TO THE RIGHT AND PITCHING DOWN. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE TREES AND GROUND SHORTLY AFTER BEGINNING ITS DESCENT. THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRFRAME, FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM OR ENGINE THAT WOULD PREVENT FLIGHT. THE WING FLAPS WERE IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK STATES THAT 10-DEGREES OF FLAPS SHOULD BE USED DURING THE SHORT AND SOFT FIELD TAKEOFF. (-23) ON NOVEMBER 13, 1998, AT APPROXIMATELY 0854 AM EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 152, N5213B, CRASHED AFTER TAKING OFF ON RUNWAY 18 AT THE WHITE COUNTY AIRPORT, MONTICELLO, INDIANA. THE INSTRUCTOR RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE STUDENT RECEIVED ONLY MINOR INJURIES FROM THE CRASH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED IN THE CRASH. THE INSTRUCTOR WAS DEMONSTRATING A TAKEOFF, IN WHICH THE AIRCRAFT WOULD CLIMB INTO GROUND EFFECT AND THEN MAINTAIN THE GROUND EFFECT UNTIL THE END OF THE RUNWAY. NEXT HE ROTATED THE AIRCRAFT FOR A VX CLIMB OUT AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE INSTRUCTOR PITCHED THE AIRCRAFT TO APPROXIMATELY 50 DEGREES NOSE UP AND DID NOT LOWER THE NOSE IN TIME TO PREVENT THE AIRCRAFT FROM STALLING. THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET TO 200 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY ELEVATION PRIOR TO THE STALL. THE RIGHT WING DROPPED FIRST AND THE AIRCRAFT TURNED TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO THE TREES AND CRASHED APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER MILE FROM TH E DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 18 INTO THE SIDE OF A RIDGE LINE SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.