- Date
- October 3, 1993, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grosse Ile, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Other
- Aircraft
- N5522GCessna 150J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 7, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931003039059A
- Case key
- 9414
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 misjudged altitude/clearance during the banner pickup, which resulted in the tow rope snagging the landing gear, and failed to maintain adequate airspeed, while landing with the banner attached, which resulted in a failure (or inability) to attain a flare for 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 pilot was flying a banner tow flight. When he picked up the banner, the rope caught on the right main landing gear instead of the tow hook. The banner caused no adverse handling characteristics, so the pilot flew the two hour flight. However, as he was landing, the increased drag of the banner caused the airplane to stall at about six feet above the runway. The airplane touched down hard and was damaged.
Factual narrative
On October 3, 1993, at 1500 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150J, N5522G, sustained substantial damage in a hard landing at the Grosse Ile Municipal Airport, Grosse Ile, Michigan. The commercial pilot was not injured. The local banner towing flight originated at the Grosse Ile Airport. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot reported when he picked up the banner, the tow rope caught on the right main landing gear instead of the tow hook. He said there were no problems with flying, so he flew a two hour banner flight. When he returned to land he stated the banner, "...created more drag than normal causing the aircraft to stall and impact the ground nose first."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5522G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15071022
- Airframe hours
- 5,390
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- John A. Radziewicz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Special, Provisional (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 3, 1993 · 201 hours before
- Departed
- 2G5
- Destination
- 2G5
- Airport
- 2G5 · Grosse Ile Muni, runway 22, 4,980 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,490 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 1,390 as pilot in command · 175 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DET, 20 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.
Other investigations on N5522G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.