What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 6, 2023, aircraft, a Cessna 150K, crashed at Huntsville Municipal Airport (kuts), Huntsville, Texas. There were two persons on board: a student pilot and a certificated flight instructor. The student pilot was pronounced deceased on-scene. The flight instructor was life flighted to Huntsville memorial hospital but passed away enroute. The accident was reported by numerous telephone calls to law enforcement. Aviation safety inspectors from the houston flight standards district office (hou FSDO) were dispatched to conduct the on-scene accident investigation. The national transportation safety board (NTSB) also responded to conduct an on-scene investigation.
Flight originated out of conroe-north houston regional airport (kcxo), conroe, Texas. The aircraft was flown direct to Huntsville Municipal Airport where the pilots conducted traffic pattern work. There were multiple witnesses to the accident. The witnesses included another certificated flight instructor and student pilot. Witnesses reported hearing the engine sputter and RPM decrease after taking off from runway 18, before seeing the aircraft turn to the left, stall, spin, lose altitude and fly directly into the ground. Witnesses believed the altitude of the aircraft to be at approximately 500-feet above ground level.
The aircraft came to rest approximately 150-yards from the end, and just left of centerline, of runway 18. Investigation indicates the aircraft appears to have descended vertically, impacting the ground nose first. Evidence on the ground provides an indication of the attitude of the aircraft on impact. There is an indentation in the earth where propellor/engine impacted and witness marking in the grass where the wings impacted. The aircraft sustained significant damage. The engine is pushed into the cockpit-area, both wing leading edges are crushed, and tail section is fractured and bent over to the right.
First responders reported that upon reaching the aircraft fuel was observed leaking from the front inboard sections of both wings. During post-crash inspection of the left and right fuel tanks, approximately one gallon of fuel appeared to be remaining in each tank.
The fuel supply system was disassembled for inspection. Upon removal of the fuel line connecting the left and right fuel tank supply lines to the shutoff valve, and subsequent removal of the fuel shutoff valve, a large amount of debris was discovered in the blue 90-degree inlet fitting of the fuel shutoff valve. This debris appeared to provide a complete blockage inside the fitting. The debris was removed and came out in chunks and flakes. The carburetor was removed and disassembled with nothing notable discovered. The fuel line providing fuel from the left fuel tank was disconnected. Fuel and sediment drained from this fuel line. The fuel line providing fuel from the right fuel tank was disconnected. Fuel and sediment drained from this fuel line. Both fuel tanks were borescoped. Sediment was observed resting on the inside bottom surfaces of both tanks. The strainers in both tanks appeared to be free of obstruction. The fuel line from the fuel strainer to the fuel shutoff valve was removed. Debris was discovered in this fuel line.
The loss of power reported by witnesses appears to have been the result of fuel starvation to the engine. Upon losing power, the pilot entered a left turn in an effort to return to the airport. In the turn, the aircraft stalled resulting in the pilot’s loss of control of the aircraft which ultimately resulted in the crash and destruction of the aircraft.
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2023, AIRCRAFT, A CESSNA 150K, CRASHED AT HUNTSVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KUTS), HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS. THERE WERE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD: A STUDENT PILOT AND A CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS PRONOUNCED DECEASED ON-SCENE. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS LIFE FLIGHTED TO HUNTSVILLE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL BUT PASSED AWAY ENROUTE. THE ACCIDENT WAS REPORTED BY NUMEROUS TELEPHONE CALLS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTORS FROM THE HOUSTON FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (HOU FSDO) WERE DISPATCHED TO CONDUCT THE ON-SCENE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION. THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) ALSO RESPONDED TO CONDUCT AN ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION.
FLIGHT ORIGINATED OUT OF CONROE-NORTH HOUSTON REGIONAL AIRPORT (KCXO), CONROE, TEXAS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN DIRECT TO HUNTSVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT WHERE THE PILOTS CONDUCTED TRAFFIC PATTERN WORK. THERE WERE MULTIPLE WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. THE WITNESSES INCLUDED ANOTHER CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOT. WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING THE ENGINE SPUTTER AND RPM DECREASE AFTER TAKING OFF FROM RUNWAY 18, BEFORE SEEING THE AIRCRAFT TURN TO THE LEFT, STALL, SPIN, LOSE ALTITUDE AND FLY DIRECTLY INTO THE GROUND. WITNESSES BELIEVED THE ALTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO BE AT APPROXIMATELY 500-FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.
THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 150-YARDS FROM THE END, AND JUST LEFT OF CENTERLINE, OF RUNWAY 18. INVESTIGATION INDICATES THE AIRCRAFT APPEARS TO HAVE DESCENDED VERTICALLY, IMPACTING THE GROUND NOSE FIRST. EVIDENCE ON THE GROUND PROVIDES AN INDICATION OF THE ATTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT ON IMPACT. THERE IS AN INDENTATION IN THE EARTH WHERE PROPELLOR/ENGINE IMPACTED AND WITNESS MARKING IN THE GRASS WHERE THE WINGS IMPACTED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. THE ENGINE IS PUSHED INTO THE COCKPIT-AREA, BOTH WING LEADING EDGES ARE CRUSHED, AND TAIL SECTION IS FRACTURED AND BENT OVER TO THE RIGHT.
FIRST RESPONDERS REPORTED THAT UPON REACHING THE AIRCRAFT FUEL WAS OBSERVED LEAKING FROM THE FRONT INBOARD SECTIONS OF BOTH WINGS. DURING POST-CRASH INSPECTION OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT FUEL TANKS, APPROXIMATELY ONE GALLON OF FUEL APPEARED TO BE REMAINING IN EACH TANK.
THE FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM WAS DISASSEMBLED FOR INSPECTION. UPON REMOVAL OF THE FUEL LINE CONNECTING THE LEFT AND RIGHT FUEL TANK SUPPLY LINES TO THE SHUTOFF VALVE, AND SUBSEQUENT REMOVAL OF THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE, A LARGE AMOUNT OF DEBRIS WAS DISCOVERED IN THE BLUE 90-DEGREE INLET FITTING OF THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE. THIS DEBRIS APPEARED TO PROVIDE A COMPLETE BLOCKAGE INSIDE THE FITTING. THE DEBRIS WAS REMOVED AND CAME OUT IN CHUNKS AND FLAKES. THE CARBURETOR WAS REMOVED AND DISASSEMBLED WITH NOTHING NOTABLE DISCOVERED. THE FUEL LINE PROVIDING FUEL FROM THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS DISCONNECTED. FUEL AND SEDIMENT DRAINED FROM THIS FUEL LINE. THE FUEL LINE PROVIDING FUEL FROM THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS DISCONNECTED. FUEL AND SEDIMENT DRAINED FROM THIS FUEL LINE. BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE BORESCOPED. SEDIMENT WAS OBSERVED RESTING ON THE INSIDE BOTTOM SURFACES OF BOTH TANKS. THE STRAINERS IN BOTH TANKS APPEARED TO BE FREE OF OBSTRUCTION. THE FUEL LINE FROM THE FUEL STRAINER TO THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE WAS REMOVED. DEBRIS WAS DISCOVERED IN THIS FUEL LINE.
THE LOSS OF POWER REPORTED BY WITNESSES APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF FUEL STARVATION TO THE ENGINE. UPON LOSING POWER, THE PILOT ENTERED A LEFT TURN IN AN EFFORT TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT. IN THE TURN, THE AIRCRAFT STALLED RESULTING IN THE PILOT’S LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHICH ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN THE CRASH AND DESTRUCTION OF THE 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.