- Date
- July 31, 2002, 22:15 local (Aug 1, 2002, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Belleville, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8137SCessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 13, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- St. Louis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020731019499A
- Case key
- 55475
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
Directional control not obtained/maintained by the pilot during landing.
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
The airplane veered off the edge of a 2,400 foot by 75 foot runway during landing. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. The pilot was issued a private pilot certificate with a single engine airplane rating 22 days before the accident.
Factual narrative
On July 31, 2002, at 2215 central daylight time, a Cessna 150, N8137S, owned and piloted by a private pilot, received substantial damage during landing on runway 09 (2,400 feet by 75 feet, turf) at Ben Emge Airport (2IL7), Belleville, Illinois. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The flight departed from the Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS), St. Louis, Missouri, at 2130, en route to 2IL7.
The pilot stated that he departed 2IL7 approximately 2030 and performed two landings at SUS. At 2115, he departed SUS to return to 2IL7 where he activated the airport lighting. He made a low pass over runway 09 to determine crosswind conditions after listening to the St. Louis Downtown (CPS) automated surface observing system (ASOS). According to the pilot, the CPS ASOS reported winds from 180 degrees at less than 8 knots. The pilot then flew a normal traffic pattern to land on runway 09. During the landing flare, the pilot compensated for a slight crosswind from the south with application of right aileron and left rudder. As the airplane touched down, the right wing contacted the runway, the pilot applied left rudder, and the airplane veered into a corn crop growing adjacent to the runway.
Examination of the airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed no anomalies.
The CPS ASOS recorded, at 2153, winds from 160 degrees at 3 knots.
The pilot received a private pilot certificate on July 9, 2002.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8137S
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15061737
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Allen L. Morgan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SUS · St Louis, MO
- Destination
- 2IL7 · Belleville, IL
- Airport
- 2IL7 · Ben Egme, runway 09, 2,400 × 75 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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 9, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 181 total · 173 in this make and model · 50 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- CPS, 7 nm away
Docket · 27
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 25, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.