# Accident 20160813016299A: Cessna 150G, Shirley, NY, August 13, 2016

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 13, 2016, 13:00 local time
- Place: Shirley, NY
- Airport: Brookhaven
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.8219° N, 72.8669° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8219&lon=-72.8669&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3666J, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3666J) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 150G (registry code 2071816, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150g) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-200 series (registry code 17020, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 150G
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR 0-200 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 8,700 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA16LA293](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16LA293) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160813016299A

## Narrative

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

ON AUGUST 13, 2016, ABOUT 1300 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 150G, N3666J, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ELEVATOR DETACHED FROM THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOT WERE NOT INJURED. ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT PILOT, HE AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WERE ON A DUAL INSTRUCTION FLIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THEY HAD DEPARTED MTP AND WERE ON THEIR WAY BACK TO HMV CRUISING AT 4,500 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL, WHEN THE STUDENT PILOT NOTICED A ROUGHNESS AND VIBRATION COMING THROUGH THE CONTROL WHEEL. HE TOLD THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ABOUT IT, AND THEN WHILE LOOKING AROUND THE AIRPLANE HE NOTICED THAT THE LEFT ELEVATOR TIP WAS HANGING DOWN 6-10 INCHES FROM ITS NORMAL MOUNTING POSITION.

ACCORDING TO THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, WHEN THE STUDENT PILOT COMPLAINED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS HANDLING "FUNNY," HE TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND NOTICED THAT THE LEFT ELEVATOR WAS MOVING UP AND DOWN UNCONTROLLABLY. AT THIS POINT, THE AIRPLANE WAS DIRECTLY IN LINE WITH RUNWAY 24 AT HWV, SO THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR MADE A SLIGHT POWER REDUCTION TO DESCEND AT 150 FEET PER MINUTE, KEPT THE WING FLAPS RETRACTED, DID NOT MOVE THE FLIGHT CONTROLS, AND MADE A 7 MILE LONG STRAIGHT IN APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY WHERE THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN FIRMLY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

## 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 ERA16LA293](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16LA293), Aug 13, 2016: Cessna 150G (N3666J), Shirley, NY, substantial damage. Probable cause: Maintenance personnel’s inadequate maintenance and inspection of the airplane, which resulted in the left elevator attachment bolt backing out of the nutplate, and partial inflight separation and…

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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