# NTSB CHI04CA140: Cessna 150H, N3915V, Mount Pleasant, MI, June 16, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: June 16, 2004, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC) - Place: Mount Pleasant, MI - Coordinates: 43.713611, -84.707778 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.7136&lon=-84.7078&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 1, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration, Grand Rapids FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 59520 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI04CA140 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59520/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04CA140 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper decision to takeoff downwind from the rough field and his failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor to the accident was the rough/uneven alfalfa field and the tailwind experienced during the takeoff. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (cause) - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selected, pilot in command (cause) - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - tailwind (contributing factor) - terrain condition - crop (contributing factor) - terrain condition - rough/uneven (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The airplane impacted terrain during an attempted takeoff from an alfalfa field. The airplane was situated in the field because of a forced landing due to fuel exhaustion experienced the previous day. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration told the pilot that a takeoff from the field was not advised and a local mechanic informed the pilot that the airplane could be easily towed to a nearby airport. The pilot stated that, "after much deliberation and speaking with other pilots they suggested a takeoff from the field." The pilot reported he walked the length of the field and then decided to perform a "high-speed taxi" to evaluate the area. The pilot stated he selected "minimal flaps to relieve pressure from the nose wheel." The pilot reported that the airplane contacted some bumps in the field and the airplane veered to the right. The pilot stated he "pulled back a bit on the controls and the plane went up a little and [touched] the left wing and flipped over." The pilot reported that the only reason he attempted to "move the plane" was because there were thunderstorms approaching the area. The airplane had become airborne and traveled north approximately 210 feet before the nose gear impacted the terrain. The local winds at the time of the accident were from the south-southeast at six knots. ## Factual narrative On June 16, 2004, at 1900 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150H, N3915V, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from an alfalfa field near Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was not injured. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. The day before the accident, the accident airplane experienced a loss of engine power and the accident pilot performed a forced landing into the alfalfa field. The loss of engine power was determined to be the result of fuel exhaustion, according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the forced landing report on the morning of the accident. The aircraft sustained no apparent damage during the forced landing and the pilot and his passenger were not injured. The FAA inspector told the pilot that the airplane should be inspected prior to further flight and the pilot agreed to contact a local airframe & powerplant mechanic. The mechanic was unable to inspect the airplane until later in the day, but informed the pilot that he could make arrangements to have the airplane towed to the nearby Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport (MOP). The pilot said he wanted to takeoff from the alfalfa field in order to reposition the airplane to the nearby MOP, according to the FAA inspector. The FAA inspector advised the pilot against taking off from the field and the mechanic restated that the airplane could be easily towed to the nearby airport for inspection. The FAA inspector departed the scene with the airplane still positioned in the field. The pilot stated, "after much deliberation and speaking with other pilots they suggested a takeoff from the field." The pilot reported he walked the length of the field and then decided to perform a "high-speed taxi" to evaluate the area. The pilot stated he selected "minimal flaps to relieve pressure from the nose wheel." The pilot reported that the airplane contacted some bumps in the field and the airplane veered to the right. The pilot stated he "pulled back a bit on the controls and the plane went up a little and [touched] the left wing and flipped over." The pilot reported that the only reason he attempted to "move the plane" was because there were thunderstorms approaching the area. According to the FAA inspector who returned to the accident site, the airplane had become airborne and traveled north approximately 210 feet before the nose gear impacted the terrain. Wind data was collected from the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) located at MOP. The winds at the time of the accident were from 160-degrees at six knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3915V](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3915V-2009-07-31), registration cancelled 2009-07-31, S/N 15076651 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 150H - Registry model: [Cessna 150M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150m) (registry code 2071830) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15076651 - Airframe hours: 4225.3 - Engines: Teledyne Continental O-200-A 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Triple H Aero, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Last inspection: 100 hour, October 16, 2003, 91 hours before - Departed: Mount Pleasant, MI - Destination: MOP, Mount Pleasant, MI ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 36; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review February 19, 2004; seat: left; flight hours: 26 total, 26 in this make and model, 130 as pilot in command, 11 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 6 knots - Visibility: 4 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 12,000 ft broken - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 30.01 inHg - Observed at: MOP, 6 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 20040616013259A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040616013259A), Jun 16, 2004: Cessna 150M, Rosebush, MI, Substantial damage. (-23) After being advised to make other arrangements to move the aircraft, it was determined that the pilot had attempted to take-off from an alfalfa field as… 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.