- Date
- May 20, 2011, 19:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, KY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N68844Cessna 150M
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 22, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Louisville FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110520013419A
- Case key
- 79223
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 loss of control during takeoff after he reached to secure a seatbelt that was wedged in the passenger door.
Findings · 2
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 takeoff, he observed the passenger seatbelt wedged in the right side door and dangling outside the airplane. As he reached to open the door to move the seatbelt inside the cabin, the airplane impacted the runway resulting in substantial damage to the tail section.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during takeoff after becoming airborne, he saw that the passenger seatbelt was wedged in the right side door and dangling outside the airplane. As he reached to open the door to move the seatbelt inside the cabin, the airplane impacted the runway resulting in substantial damage to the tail section.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68844
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15076179
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200 SERIES, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- M21 · Greenville, KY
- Destination
- M21 · Greenville, KY
- Airport
- M21 · Muhlenberg County Airport, runway 05, 5,000 × 75 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
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 50 in this make and model · 100 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- OWB, 29 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 4, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 560 KB 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.