19990414003469A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 152 · Superior, WI · April 14, 1999

Date
April 14, 1999 · 14:11 local
Place
Superior, WI
Airport
Richard Bong Airport
Phase of flight
Practice Training Manuevers
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N4611B
NTSB investigation
NTSBCHI99FA129
Reported as
Cessna 152
Reported engine
Lycoming O235L2C
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Pilot’s flight hours
307 total95 in this make and model65 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Acft crashed under unknown circumstances while on a training flight, the 2 POB (an instructor and student) suffered fatal injuries, the acft was destroyed. (.19) on April 14, 1999, at 1411 central daylight time (all times CDT), a Cessna 152, N4611B, operated by the twin ports flying service, was destroyed when it impacted terrain about five miles south of the Bong airport, Superior, Wisconsin. The certified flight instructor and student pilot received fatal injuries. The 14 CFR part 91 flight had departed the airport at about 1400 on a local training flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. Witnesses reported the flight was the student pilot's first instructional flight he had received in any aircraft. The flight instructor had approximately 307 total flight hours and had given approximately 77 hours of flight instruction. A witness reported he became aware of an airplane flying overhead when he heard the sound of the airplane's engine. He reported,".. What attracted my attention was that I became increasingly oaware the plane was in an extended dive. I could hear the engine running throughout the entire dive. I looked up and saw the plane in a dive, at an extremely sharp angle of descent, heading west. The plane continued down long past the time I thought it should have pulled up until finally it reached the tree-top of my vision, disappeared from my view and I heard more of a muffled impact 'thud' than an actual explosive sound. I immediately looked at my watch and it was 2:11 p.m." the airplane impacted the ground in a swampy, wooded area of coordinates N46 degrees 37.211 minutes, w 092 degrees, 06.982 minutes, on a heading of 260 degrees. The airplane had been fueled with 15.8 gallons of fuel before departure. (.4)a witness reported, '... The plane was in an extended dive. I could hear the engine running throughout the entire dive...' And that it was, '...at an extremely sharp angle of descent, heading west. The plane continued down long past the time I thought it should have pulled up until finally it reached the tree-top of my vision, disappeared from my view and I heard more of a muffled impact 'thud' than an actual explosive sound.' The airplane impacted the ground inverted in a steep nose down impact angle. The inspection of the airplane revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Student pilots who received flight instruction from the accident CFI reported the CFI would demonstrate spins within the first three flights of instruction. One student pilot reported the CFI had demonstrated a wingover and a spin during his third instructional flight, the first flight with the accident CFI. A witness reported the accident flight was the student pilot's first instructional flight he had received in any aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES WHILE ON A TRAINING FLIGHT, THE 2 POB (AN INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT) SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES, THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED. (.19) ON APRIL 14, 1999, AT 1411 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME (ALL TIMES CDT), A CESSNA 152, N4611B, OPERATED BY THE TWIN PORTS FLYING SERVICE, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED TERRAIN ABOUT FIVE MILES SOUTH OF THE BONG AIRPORT, SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED THE AIRPORT AT ABOUT 1400 ON A LOCAL TRAINING FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. WITNESSES REPORTED THE FLIGHT WAS THE STUDENT PILOT'S FIRST INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT HE HAD RECEIVED IN ANY AIRCRAFT. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR HAD APPROXIMATELY 307 TOTAL FLIGHT HOURS AND HAD GIVEN APPROXIMATELY 77 HOURS OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTION. A WITNESS REPORTED HE BECAME AWARE OF AN AIRPLANE FLYING OVERHEAD WHEN HE HEARD THE SOUND OF THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE. HE REPORTED,".. WHAT ATTRACTED MY ATTENTION WAS THAT I BECAME INCREASINGLY OAWARE THE PLANE WAS IN AN EXTENDED DIVE. I COULD HEAR THE ENGINE RUNNING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DIVE. I LOOKED UP AND SAW THE PLANE IN A DIVE, AT AN EXTREMELY SHARP ANGLE OF DESCENT, HEADING WEST. THE PLANE CONTINUED DOWN LONG PAST THE TIME I THOUGHT IT SHOULD HAVE PULLED UP UNTIL FINALLY IT REACHED THE TREE-TOP OF MY VISION, DISAPPEARED FROM MY VIEW AND I HEARD MORE OF A MUFFLED IMPACT 'THUD' THAN AN ACTUAL EXPLOSIVE SOUND. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED AT MY WATCH AND IT WAS 2:11 P.M." THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A SWAMPY, WOODED AREA OF COORDINATES N46 DEGREES 37.211 MINUTES, W 092 DEGREES, 06.982 MINUTES, ON A HEADING OF 260 DEGREES. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN FUELED WITH 15.8 GALLONS OF FUEL BEFORE DEPARTURE. (.4)A WITNESS REPORTED, '... THE PLANE WAS IN AN EXTENDED DIVE. I COULD HEAR THE ENGINE RUNNING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DIVE...' AND THAT IT WAS, '...AT AN EXTREMELY SHARP ANGLE OF DESCENT, HEADING WEST. THE PLANE CONTINUED DOWN LONG PAST THE TIME I THOUGHT IT SHOULD HAVE PULLED UP UNTIL FINALLY IT REACHED THE TREE-TOP OF MY VISION, DISAPPEARED FROM MY VIEW AND I HEARD MORE OF A MUFFLED IMPACT 'THUD' THAN AN ACTUAL EXPLOSIVE SOUND.' THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND INVERTED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN IMPACT ANGLE. THE INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO PRE-IMPACT ANOMALIES. STUDENT PILOTS WHO RECEIVED FLIGHT INSTRUCTION FROM THE ACCIDENT CFI REPORTED THE CFI WOULD DEMONSTRATE SPINS WITHIN THE FIRST THREE FLIGHTS OF INSTRUCTION. ONE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED THE CFI HAD DEMONSTRATED A WINGOVER AND A SPIN DURING HIS THIRD INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, THE FIRST FLIGHT WITH THE ACCIDENT CFI. A WITNESS REPORTED THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT WAS THE STUDENT PILOT'S FIRST INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT HE HAD RECEIVED IN ANY AIRCRAFT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.