- Date
- August 3, 2008, 23:00 local (Aug 4, 2008, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Watertown, SD
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N16235Cessna 150L
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Rapid City, SD, FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080803843219A
- Case key
- 68730
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 altitude/clearance from terrain during cruise. Contributing to the accident was the night, the haze, and the tall vegetation.
Findings · 4
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 cross country night flight he began losing altitude while listening to the automated weather service broadcast for the destination airport. He did not notice the altitude loss. The pilot decided to go to an alternate airport, turned for the alternate, and descended during the turn. At that point he noticed the altitude loss, pulled back on the yoke, and impacted a cornfield. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane during the accident flight. The pilot's safety recommendation was "haze is deceptive."
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the cross country night flight he began losing altitude while listening to the automated weather service broadcast for the destination airport. He did not notice the altitude loss. The pilot decided to go to an alternate airport, turned for the alternate, and descended during the turn. At that point he noticed the altitude loss, pulled back on the yoke, and impacted a cornfield. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane during the accident flight. The pilot's safety recommendation was "haze is deceptive."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16235
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15073562
- Airframe hours
- 5,331
- Engine
- Continental O-200, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mitchell S. Pratt
- Registered owner
- Katy Flying Club Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2007
- Departed
- MHE · Mitchell, SD
- Destination
- ATY · Watertown, SD
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
- 45
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 175 total · 168 in this make and model · 136 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.