- Date
- September 14, 1991, 12:55 local (17:55 UTC)
- Place
- Wilsonville, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6866GCessna 150J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910914039969A
- Case key
- 8471
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 inadequate preflight planning, and his improper use of flaps during the takeoff roll. Factors in the accident were: the high density altitude, the rising runway conditions, and the departure end obstructions at the airstrip.
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 was attempting a takeoff from a hard, dirt airstrip. The departure end of the runway was upsloping, with departure end obstacles (trees). Outside air temperature was about 93 degrees. Takeoff gross weight was 1580 pounds, or 20 pounds under max gross takeoff weight. Shortly after rotation, the pilot realized that the airplane would not clear the trees, so he landed hard, straight ahead. The nose gear sheared off and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that he used 10 degrees of flaps for the takeoff; the owner's manual states that obstacle clearance takeoffs are to be performed with flaps up.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6866G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15072366
- Airframe hours
- 4,809
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ramsey, Samuel H.
- Registered owner
- Ramsey, Samuel H.
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 19, 1991 · 3 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · None, runway 33, 2,600 × 80 ft, dirt
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,097 total · 74 in this make and model · 3,921 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.