# NTSB ATL03LA149: Cessna 150A, N5581E, Beaufort, NC, September 27, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 27, 2003, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC) - Place: Beaufort, NC - Coordinates: 34.733612, -76.650001 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7336&lon=-76.6500&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report January 24, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Greensboro FSDO-05 - NTSB case key (mKey): 58065 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL03LA149 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58065/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL03LA149 ## Probable cause Loss of engine power due to undetermined reasons. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, maneuvering - reason for occurrence undetermined - weather condition - carburetor icing conditions - carburetor heat control - ice - carburetor heat - improper use of, pilot in command - Forced landing, emergency landing - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - swampy - Nose over, emergency landing ## Analysis According to the pilot, while en route to the Core Banks Island, he descended to an altitude of 500 feet to survey the site. The pilot reduced flaps, applied carburetor heat, and reduced the power. The engine began to run rough, and full throttle was applied. The carburetor heat control was turned off and the engine quit. During the emergency landing the airplane collided with the ground and came to rest inverted. Examinations of the engine, revealed movement of all the intake and exhaust valves in all combustion cylinders, no anomalies with the ignition system were noted. No mechanical or flight control anomalies were reported by pilot prior to the accident. The Raleigh-Durham International Airport reported a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit with a dew point of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. A review of the icing probability chart revealed conditions were favorable for induction system icing. ## Factual narrative On September 27, 2003, at 1100 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150A, N5581E, registered to and operated by a commercial pilot, collided with the ground while making an emergency landing on Core Banks Island, near Beaufort North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The flight departed from a private grass strip in Harlowe, North Carolina, on September 27, 2003 at 1020. According to the pilot, while enroute to the Core Banks Island, he descended to an altitude of 500 feet to survey a "duck-blind" site. The pilot then reduced flaps, applied carburetor heat, and reduced the power. The engine began to run rough, and full throttle was applied. The carburetor heat control lever was in the "off" position, and the engine quit. Efforts by the pilot to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and an emergency landing area was chosen. During the emergency landing the airplane collided with the ground and came to rest inverted. No mechanical or flight control anomalies were reported by pilot prior to the accident. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing's leading edge was damaged from the tip-cap inboard approximately 24 inches. The nose strut assembly was bent aft at the attachment points. The firewall and fuselage aft of the baggage compartment were buckled. Examinations of the engine, revealed movement of all the intake and exhaust valves in all combustion cylinders, no anomalies with the ignition system were noted. A review of the icing probability chart revealed conditions were favorable for induction system icing. The Raleigh-Durham International Airport reported a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit with a dew point of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5581E](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5581E-2018-03-14), registration cancelled 2018-03-14, S/N 17081, built 1958 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 150A - Registry model: [Cessna 150](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150) (registry code 2071802) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17081 - Airframe hours: 1533 - Engines: Continental O-200 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Roger Dale Whaley II - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 28, 2002 - Departed: Harlowe, NC - Airport: RDU, Raleigh-Durham International ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 37; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 400 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 210° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 68 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: RDU ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030927027349A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030927027349A), Sep 27, 2003: Cessna 150, Core Banks, NC, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot set up for slow flight. He was circling duck blinds at 500 ft. AGL. The engine began to run rough and stopped. The pilot was unable to make the… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.