- Date
- September 21, 2023, 09:55 local (15:55 UTC)
- Place
- Montrose, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5460QCessna 150L
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230921018099A
- Case key
- 193121
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 directional control during the landing roll with a gusting quartering headwind.
Findings · 3
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, during the third stop-and-go landing, the airplane touched down and veered to the left. The pilot attempted to correct with opposite rudder; however, the pilot encountered an unexpected wind gust, and the airplane weather vaned to the right. The airplane ground looped to the right, partially collapsing the left main landing gear, and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage structure. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 17 with wind from 200° at 12 knots and gusting to 21 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5460Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15073360
- Airframe hours
- 3,963
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 8, 2023
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- MTJ · Montrose Rgnl, runway 17, 10,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 9, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 6,205 total · 88 in this make and model · 3,210 as pilot in command · 207 in the last 90 days · 69 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 12 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KMTJ
- METAR
- KMTJ 211653Z AUTO 20012G21KT 10SM CLR 22/00 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP109 T02220000
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 9, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.6 MB 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.