- Date
- October 29, 1990, 17:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Williamston, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3490VCessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901029047299A
- Case key
- 8355
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 student pilot's failure to properly flare the airplane during the night landing attempt. The pilot's failure to maintain geographic orientation and the subsequent flight into night conditions were factors in the accident. The pilot's lack of night flying experience was also a factor in the accident.
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 student pilot was flying the third leg of his 300 mile solo cross country when he became lost. He continued the flight and requested assistance from the fss via radio. He continued flying past sunset while looking for familiar landmarks. Finally, he located an airfield and attempted a night landing. Upon landing, the airplane bounced, then landed hard, bending the nose gear. The airplane came to a stop on its right wing. The pilot's only night flying experience occurred eight months earlier, when he logged .9 hours of night time, with five night landings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3490V
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15076520
- Airframe hours
- 6,657
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Laurence A. Taylor
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 18, 1990 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- CRE · N. Myrtle Beach, SC
- Destination
- PGV · Greenville, NC
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- MCZ · Martin County, runway 21, 3,700 × 75 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
- 63
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 66 total · 57 in this make and model · 26 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 10° at 1 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PGV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.