ANC19LA015

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 150 · Talkeetna, AK · March 16, 2019

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal report
Date
March 16, 2019, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
Place
Talkeetna, AK
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N7095SCessna 150
Defining event
Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
Parties
FAA, Flight Standards District Office
FAA report
20190316000499A
Case key
99129

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

A loss of pitch control for an undetermined reason, which resulted in a collision with terrain during an emergency landing.

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.

Performance/control parameters: pitch controlAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Attain/maintain not possibleCessna 150H: 2 casesAll aircraft: 526 casesProbable cause
Not determinedNot determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determinedCessna 150H: 6 casesAll aircraft: 2,247 casesProbable cause

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 flight instructor reported that she initiated the takeoff at the beginning of the runway to use all 3,500 ft of available runway. She added that the flight controls were free and correct and that she applied power with the control yoke full aft for a "soft field" takeoff. The airplane "seemed" to become airborne earlier than normal, and during the initial climb, the nose of the airplane wanted to pitch up slightly. She applied "some" nose-down trim and pushed the yoke forward "slightly," and the airplane continued to climb. As the airspeed increased, the airplane's pitch attitude increased; she then applied full nose-down trim and full forward yoke and asked for help from her student. She then reduced the engine power to idle, performed an emergency landing, and the airplane came to rest in the trees. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Factual narrative

On March 16, 2019, about 1530 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 150H airplane, N7095S, impacted trees while performing an emergency landing after takeoff at Talkeetna Airport (TKA), Talkeetna, Alaska. The certified flight instructor and one student sustained no injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to a private individual and was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a visual flight rules instructional flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from TKA, about 1530. During discussion with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the flight instructor reported that the purpose of the flight was to provide an introductory flight lesson to a prospective new student. She added that she was in the right seat, and the student was in the left seat at the time of the accident. Prior to departure she checked the movement of the flight controls and stated that they "were free and correct". The flight instructor said that during the first takeoff run, condensation formed on the airplane's windscreen, so she aborted the takeoff and taxied back to the end of Runway 1 for a second attempt, using all 3,500 feet of available runway. During the second takeoff attempt, she applied power with the control yoke full aft for a "soft field" takeoff. The airplane "seemed" to become airborne earlier than normal, and during the initial climb out, the nose of the airplane wanted to pitch up slightly. She applied "some" nose down trim, and pushed the yoke forward "slightly", and the airplane continued to climb. As the airspeed increased the pitch up attitude increased, she then applied full nose down trim and full forward yoke and asked for help from her student. The flight instructor added, she observed the tree line ahead, and unable to correct the nose high attitude of the airplane, reduced the engine power to idle and selected an area of tree covered terrain as an emergency landing site. The airplane subsequently settled into the trees and came to rest near a road. The occupants were able to egress without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the both wings, the empennage, and the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that during the accident flight, they had about 20 lbs. of equipment in the back seat/storage area, including an engine cover, sleeping bag, stove, and winter gear. A postaccident examination of the airplane by the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor further reported that there were no mechanical issues with the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Aircraft

Registration
N7095S
Reported as
Cessna 150 (H)
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15067795
Built
1967
Airframe hours
6,391.6
Engine
Continental O-200A-14, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
Last inspection
Annual · August 1, 2018
Departed
TKA · Talkeetna, AK
Destination
TKA · Talkeetna, AK
Airport
TKA · Talkeetna, runway 01, 3,500 × 75 ft, asphalt
Equipment
None

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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Flight instructor
Age
35
Injuries
None
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
February 20, 2018
Seat
Right
Restraint
Lap only
Flight hours
950 total · 50 in this make and model · 874 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Role
Student pilot
Injuries
None
Medical
Unknown, Unknown
Seat
Left
Restraint
Lap only

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10 statute miles
Temperature
34 °F, dew point 21 °F
Altimeter
29.29 inHg
Observed at
PATK, 1 nm away

Docket · 5

The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 23, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 MB 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.