- Date
- March 8, 2003, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pearland, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8994UCessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030308018929A
- Case key
- 56712
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 runway alignment. Contributing factors were the pilot's diverted attention to the banner staging area, and the ditch.
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 reported that the runway, adjacent taxiway, and surrounding field had recently been mowed. A banner tow recovery team staging area was adjacent to the approach end of the runway, and the pilot was distracted by the banner towing activity, plus the field and runway having recently been mowed, and he landed the airplane at the left edge of the runway. The nose wheel struck a ditch near the intersection of the crossing runway, and the pilot initiated a go-around. During the subsequent landing roll, the nose landing gear and mount assembly folded aft.
Factual narrative
On March 8, 2003, approximately 1600 central standard time, a Cessna 150, single-engine airplane, N8994U, landed at the edge of the grass runway and struck a ditch during the landing roll at the Clover Field Airport near Pearland, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The personal flight departed Clover Field Airport at an unknown time.
The pilot reported that he returned to the airport for landing, announced his intentions on the Unicom frequency, and entered the traffic pattern in front of three banner towing aircraft for a left hand pattern to runway 14L. The runway, adjacent taxiway, and surrounding field had recently been mowed. The banner tow recovery team staging area was adjacent to the approach end of runway 14L. The pilot further reported that he was distracted by the banner towing activity, plus the field and runway having recently been mowed, and he landed the airplane at the left edge of the runway. The nose wheel struck a ditch near the intersection of the crossing runway, and the pilot initiated a go-around. During the subsequent landing roll, the nose landing gear and mount assembly folded aft. The engine mount and propeller were bent.
The pilot and the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, found damage to the firewall, nose landing gear, engine mount, and propeller.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8994U
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15078044
- Airframe hours
- 3,862
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael R. Elliott
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2003 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- LVJ · Friendswood, TX
- Airport
- LVJ · Cloverfield, runway 14, 3,000 × 60 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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 250 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.