BFO94LA080

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 150L · Farmingdale, NJ · April 30, 1994

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
April 30, 1994, 13:10 local (17:10 UTC)
Place
Farmingdale, NJ
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N1561QCessna 150L
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report October 13, 1995
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19940430009619A
Case key
8921

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.

The student pilot's improper flare and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision.

Analysis

The student and certificated flight instructor were performing touch and go landings. During a touch and go landing the airplane ballooned, and the student pushed forward on the yoke. The airplane hit the runway nose first. The instructor stated 'I did not have time enough to counter act the students action.' After the airplane hit the ground, the instructor took control of the airplane and executed a go around. Ground personnel radioed that the nose gear had bent. The instructor made the landing and during the landing the nose gear collapsed damaging the forward fuselage. Post accident examination revealed no pre-impact discrepancies.

Factual narrative

On April 30, 1994, about 1310 eastern daylight time, N1561Q, a Cessna 150L, operated by Gibson Air Academy, Inc., was substantially damaged during a touch and go landing at Allair Airport, Farmingdale, New Jersey. The Certified Flight Instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. There was no flight plan for the instructional flight that was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

in a written statement, the pilot stated,

I and my student were about to execute a touch and go. As the airplane ballooned, the student reacted with force. He pushed the control yoke forward. The airplane hit the ground nose first. I did not have time enough to counter act the students action, but executed a go around. After that, I remained in control of the airplane, went around for a fly-by to have others [ground personnel] inspect the nose gear. I heard over the frequency [radio] that it [the nose gear] was bent. After that I came around to do the landing. I shut the engine down....After touchdown...the nose tumbled forward as the airspeed diminished....

Post accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed that the firewall was buckled, the nose gear assembly was fractured, and the rudder pedal control cables were crimped by the damaged structure. There were no pre-impact mechanical deficiencies.

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.

Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Supervision - inadequatePilot in command(cfi)Cause
Flare - not performedDual studentCause
Nose gear collapsedLanding - roll
Landing gear,nose gear - overload

Aircraft

Registration
N1561Q
Reported as
Cessna 150L
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15072861
Airframe hours
3,839
Engine
Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Registered owner
Gibson Air Academy, Inc.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility
Last inspection
Annual · October 22, 1993 · 85 hours before
Departed
BLM
Airport
BLM · Allaire, runway 32, 7,500 × 80 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
21
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Right
Flight hours
710 total · 75 in this make and model · 610 as pilot in command · 145 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
7 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.

Other investigations on N1561Q · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.