- Date
- August 4, 2013, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hermleigh, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4281UCessna 150D
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Lubbock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130804014169A
- Case key
- 87764
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 improper positional awareness, which resulted in an off airport landing and impact with terrain.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he held a helicopter rating and he was receiving flight instruction to add an airplane single engine land rating to his private pilot certificate. He was on a solo cross country flight and had been inflight for about three hours when he became disoriented and was unable to find an airport. Because of his low fuel situation the pilot elected to make a precautionary off field landing to an unpaved road. After touchdown, directional control was lost and the airplane impacted an embankment on the side of the road resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he held a rating in only helicopter and he was receiving instruction to add an airplane single engine land rating to his private pilot certificate. He was on a solo cross country flight and had been inflight for about three hours when he became disoriented and was unable to find an airport. Because of his low fuel situation the pilot elected to make a precautionary off field landing to an unpaved road. After touchdown, directional control was lost and the airplane impacted an embankment on the side of the road resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4281U
- Reported as
- Cessna 150D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15060281
- Built
- 1963
- Airframe hours
- 5,710
- Engine
- Continental 0-200 Series, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- US Flight Academy International Inc, doing business as U S Flight Academy
- Registered owner
- Frank B Washburn Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 21, 2012 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- ABI · Abilene, TX
- Destination
- BPG · Big Spring, TX
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 22, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 185 total · 14 in this make and model · 91 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 100 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KSNK, 11 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 22, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 793 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.