- Date
- September 14, 2010, 01:00 local (09:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bethel, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N45624Cessna 150M
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing area undershoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-03
- FAA report
- 20100914047529A
- Case key
- 77276
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance during a night approach, resulting in a collision with terrain short of the runway.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The solo commercial pilot was doing full stop night landings, to become night current under Title 14, CFR Part 91. He said on his third landing, he noticed that the vertical approach slope indicator (VASI) lights were becoming red over red indicating that he was below the glide slope. He said he should have applied full power. The pilot reported that the airplane continued to descend, and struck the elevated instrument landing system (ILS) runway centerline lights and terrain short of the runway. He said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The airplane's fuselage sustained substantial damage during the accident.
Factual narrative
The solo commercial pilot was doing full stop night landings, to become night current under Title 14, CFR Part 91. He said on his third landing, he noticed that the vertical approach slope indicator (VASI) lights were becoming red over red indicating that he was below the glide slope. He said he should have applied full power. The pilot reported that the airplane continued to descend, and struck the elevated instrument landing system (ILS) runway centerline lights and terrain short of the runway. He said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The airplane's fuselage sustained substantial damage during the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45624
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15076995
- Airframe hours
- 5,509
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200 SERIES, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Roberto Guerrero
- Registered owner
- Yuut Yaqungviat LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 9, 2010
- Departed
- PABE · Bethel, AK
- Destination
- PABE · Bethel, AK
- Airport
- PABE · Bethel, runway 19R, 6,400 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 20, 2010
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,915 total · 183 in this make and model · 1,724 as pilot in command · 74 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- PABE
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 28, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 893 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.