- Date
- February 13, 1990, 22:30 local (Feb 14, 1990, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Arlington, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N21969Cessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900213002099A
- Case key
- 23106
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
Poor judgement of the pilot after consumption of alcoholic beverage, his decision to make low passes at night (buzzing), failure of the pilot to maintain proper altitude, and diversion of his attention. Darkness was a related factor.
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 made a low pass at night over a bar where he & his passenger had been earlier in the evening. According to him, he began a second pass & was demonstrating how the airplane's speed could be controlled by pitch, when he became preoccuppied with the airspeed indicator. Subsequently, the airplane impacted a 45 ft tree, then several vehicles. The pilot stated he had consumed 4 beers during a 4 hr period before the flight. He refused a toxicology test, but local police gave him a field sobriety (eye gaze nystagmus) test. The test indicated the pilot was under the influence of alcohol.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21969
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15074577
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert J. Savell
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- Arlington, TX
- Airport
- F54
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 312 total · 302 in this make and model · 257 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 170° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DFW, 15 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.