ATL93LA133

The commercial pilot elected to take off after a one hour delay for foggy conditions. He did not obtain a weather briefing. He checked a nearby ATIS after becoming airborne, and they were reporting IFR conditions. He reached his destination airport, and observed that it was 'partially fogged in.' He elected to circle the airfield until conditions improved. The weather began to deteriorate further, and the pilot entered IMC. He then elected to descend and look for an open field since his fuel status was low. He broke out of the weather, and made a precautionary landing in a cotton field after two attempts. The nose gear failed after landing on the rough terrain, and the aircraft was structurally damaged

On July 24, 1993, at about 0930 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150E, N6197T, was substantially damaged during a precautionary landing in a cotton field near Pelion, South Carolina. The commercial pilot had minor injuries in the accident. The aircraft was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by the pilot. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight to Fairview, South Carolina. The flight originated in Perry, South Carolina at about 0745.

According to an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration, the flight departed from a private airstrip in Perry under visual flight rules (VFR). Prior to the flight, the pilot checked the weather in Columbia, South Carolina. At that time, instrument flight rules (IFR) weather prevailed in Columbia, with a forecast for improvement. As he continued with his flight, the weather deteriorated. He continued toward his destination, expecting an improvement in the weather. The weather did not improve, so he initiated a precautionary landing in a cotton field. During the landing attempt, the left wing contacted the ground, and the aircraft cartwheeled. The aircraft came to rest on its tail.