- Date
- July 23, 1999, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Udall, KS
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6726GCessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 12, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990723009669A
- Case key
- 46894
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 failure of maintenance personnel to properly safety the aileron control cable during installation, the disconnected aileron control cable, and the unavailability of aileron control to the pilot.
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
Aileron control was lost on takeoff. The airplane impacted terrain during the subsequent landing. The pilot said 'all [of the aircraft] controls felt normal at the start of the takeoff roll.' The pilot stated 'after lift off the ailerons would not respond to control input.' The pilot stated that he then reduced power to idle and applied left rudder in an attempt to maintain a level attitude. The pilot stated that he was unable to keep the wings level and the aircraft rolled slowly to the right and the right wing contacted the ground. The pilot stated that 'the right wing always seemed heavy on this airplane.' A post accident examination of the aircraft was performed. The clevis bolt for the left aileron cable was not in place. No safety pin was located. There was scarring of the painted surface of the tubing forward of the clevis bolt location. No other anomalies were detected. The aileron cable had been replaced 14.5 operational hours prior to the accident flight.
Factual narrative
On July 23, 1999, approximately 1730 central daylight time, a Cessna 150L, N6726G, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain, following a loss of aileron control after takeoff from the Cherokee Strip Airport near Udall, Kansas. The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot received minor injuries and his passenger received no injuries. The flight was originating from the Cherokee Strip Airport and was en route to Cook Airfield, Derby, Kansas.
In a written statement, the pilot said "all [of the aircraft] controls felt normal at the start of the takeoff roll." The pilot stated "after lift off the ailerons would not respond to control input." The pilot stated that he then reduced power to idle and applied left rudder in an attempt to maintain a level attitude. The pilot stated that he was unable to keep the wings level and the aircraft rolled slowly to the right and the right wing contacted the ground. The pilot stated that "the right wing always seemed heavy on this airplane."
A post accident examination of the aircraft was performed. The clevis bolt for the left aileron cable was not in place. No safety pin was located. There was scarring of the painted surface of the tubing forward of the clevis bolt location. No other anomalies were detected.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the aileron cable had been replaced 14.5 operational hours prior to the accident flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6726G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15072226
- Airframe hours
- 2,513
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael W Newman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1998 · 150 hours before
- Departed
- 18KS
- Destination
- K50 · Derby, KS
- Airport
- 18KS · Cherokee Strip Airport, runway 17, 2,500 × 50 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
- 76
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,428 total · 147 in this make and model · 1,371 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 99 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ICT, 23 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 N6726G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.