# NTSB CEN12LA552: Cessna A150L, N6006J, Tribune, KS, August 17, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 17, 2012, 09:35 local (14:35 UTC) - Place: Tribune, KS - Coordinates: 38.468887, -101.752777 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4689&lon=-101.7528&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report November 26, 2012 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 84716 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN12LA552 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/84716/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=84716 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA552 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a corn crop. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Attention/monitoring: monitoring environment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna A150L, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545/cases.md?model=2071828), [All aircraft, 809 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545/cases.md) - [Action: incorrect action selection](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041010): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna A150L, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041010/cases.md?model=2071828), [All aircraft, 397 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041010/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna A150L, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md?model=2071828), [All aircraft, 1,269 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna A150L, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=2071828), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Maneuvering: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna A150L, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2071828), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was flying in an easterly direction at a low airspeed and altitude and examining his crops. As he turned toward the south, the right wing contacted the tops of corn stalks and the airplane struck the ground. ## Factual narrative On August 17, 2012, about 0935 central daylight time, a Cessna A150L, N6006J, impacted a corn field 13 miles, north of Tribune, Kansas. The pilot, the sole occupant on board, was seriously injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Sharon Springs, Kansas, Municipal Airport (6KS4) about 0900. Due to the extent of his injuries, the pilot has been unable to complete National Transportation Safety Board Form 6120.1/2, Pilot-Operator Aircraft Accident Report. The airport manager stated that the pilot departed 6KS4 about 0900, and at 0938 he telephoned his wife to tell her he had been in an accident. Emergency personnel were notified and the pilot was transported to the hospital. The airport manager said he went to the scene shortly after the accident and found a large quantity of fuel in the dirt beneath the airplane. On August 22, 2012, Federal Aviation Administration inspectors and a representative of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation met with the Tribune Municipal Airport manager to examine the wreckage. The engine was partially separated from the airframe and the firewall was wrinkled. The bottom of the fuselage beneath the cabin area was buckled, and the fuselage skin was wrinkled. Both wings were crushed. The owner and president of Chem-Tek Spray Company met with investigators and told them that the pilot had been examining the pilot's crops and was flying in an easterly direction at a low airspeed and altitude. As he banked right to turn towards the south, the right wing contacted the tops of corn stalks and the airplane struck the ground. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6006J](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6006J-2014-10-29), registration cancelled 2014-10-29, S/N A1500306, built 1971 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA A150L - Registry model: [Cessna A150L](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a150l) (registry code 2071828) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: A1500306 - Engines: Continental O-200-A 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: A. Bradford Smith - Registered owner: A. Bradford Smith - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Aerobatic - Departed: 6KS4, Sharon Springs, KS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 190° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.20 inHg - Observed at: KGLD, 10 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20120817027669A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120817027669A), Aug 17, 2012: Cessna A150L, Tribune, KS, Substantial damage. On August 17, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. the pilot was surveying corn crops 13 miles south of Tribune, Kansas. While manuevering at low level in winds of 170 degrees at… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2012, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=84716. 109 KB in all. - FAA inspector's statement (item 1, .PDF, 19 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40377382&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20INSPECTOR%27S%20STATEMENT-Redacted.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 2, .PDF, 90 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40377381&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.