- Date
- September 25, 1988, 00:55 local (04:55 UTC)
- Place
- Bessemer City, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7831ECessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 4, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880925040209A
- Case key
- 7816
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he had observed a cloud layer forming along his flt route. At about the same time, the acft VOR rcvr failed. The plt elected to continue vfr-on-top to his planned destination based on VFR wx reported by an ATIS broadcast from an arpt (clt) which was near his destination. Upon arrival in the vicinity of his destination, the comm radio failed & he found that there was a 'solid undercast' present. He then diverted to clt, but was unable to locate it due to the overcast. With an estimated 5 minutes of fuel remaining, he descended through the overcast & broke out at 200-300 ft AGL. He observed a paved road and attempted to land on it; the rt wing impacted unseen utility wires during the ldg and the airplane crashed. The plt stated that he checked the wx prior to T/0 by listening to NWS wx radio and by making a phone call to his destination. He did not obtain a fss wx briefing. Occasional low overcast ceilings were forecast for clt, beginning a few hrs before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7831E
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17631
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Alpheus B. Bullock
- Registered owner
- Bullock, Alpheus B., Sr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- NONE · Beaufort, NC
- Destination
- NONE · Mocksville, NC
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 19,700 total · 800 in this make and model · 14,500 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 20° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLT, 18 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.