- Date
- July 20, 1999, 11:55 local (15:55 UTC)
- Place
- Asheboro, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N704ETCessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 21, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990720041359A
- Case key
- 46836
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 failure to maintain flying speed that resulted in a stall and the subsequent collision with trees.
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
According to the private pilot, the commercial pilot was providing instruction and a biennial flight review to determine proficiency in the airplane. The private pilot stated that he performed a soft-field takeoff, climbed above barriers, and at that point the commercial pilot took the controls. He then recalls sensing a lack of climb and verified a slight descent on the vertical situation indicator. The airplane then banked hard to the right and he felt a buffet followed by a nose-low attitude. The airplane collided with two sets of trees rendering him unconscious. He regained consciousness when the airplane collided with the ground. The FAA reported that a soft-field takeoff was performed with a three to five knot tailwind and 10 degrees of flaps from runway 18. The take-off run was begun 300 feet from the approach end of the 3100 foot long runway. After takeoff, the airplane collided with 50-foot trees off the departure end of the runway. No mechanical deficiencies with the airplane were reported by the pilots.
Factual narrative
On July 20, 1999, at 1155 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150M, N704ET, collided with trees on the departure end of a private airstrip near Asheboro, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated by the commercial pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the private pilot and commercial pilot both received minor injuries. The flight departed Asheboro, North Carolina, at 1150.
According to the private pilot, the commercial pilot was functioning as a broker and flight instructor in a pre-sale transaction of the airplane. The commercial pilot was providing instruction and a biennial flight review to determine proficiency in the airplane before the sale was finalized. The private pilot stated that he performed a soft-field takeoff, climbed above barriers, and at that point the commercial pilot took the controls. He then recalls sensing a lack of climb and verified a slight descent on the vertical situation indicator. The airplane was then banked hard to the right and he felt a buffet followed by a nose-low attitude. The airplane collided with two sets of trees rendering him unconscious. He regained consciousness when the airplane collided with the ground. He exited the airplane and then re-entered to help the commercial pilot exit.
The soft-field takeoff was attempted from runway 18 with 10 degrees of flaps. The prevailing winds at the time were from 0 degrees at 3 knots. The pilot started the take-off run 300 feet from the approach end of the 3100 foot long runway. After takeoff, the airplane collided with 50-foot trees off the departure end of the runway. At the time of departure, the grass on the runway surface was approximately five inches tall and dry. Fuel was found on the ground at the accident site. No mechanical deficiencies with the airplane were reported by the pilots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N704ET
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15078559
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gregory W. Farbo
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1999 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 25NC
- Destination
- 3N8 · Concord, NC
- Airport
- 25NC · Smith Airstrip Airport, runway 18, 3,100 × 60 ft, grass/turf
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,810 total · 500 in this make and model · 4,420 as pilot in command · 210 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- INT, 39 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.