- Date
- May 17, 1994, 15:36 local (20:36 UTC)
- Place
- Spring, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N150CLCessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 7, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940517011189A
- Case key
- 19056
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 directional control during the attempted takeoff from the touch and go landing. Factors were the inadvertent porpoise and the soft terrain.
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
During the traffic pattern for a touch-and-go, the pilot decided to make a short field landing. After the airplane touched down, the pilot moved the flap selector to the 'up' position, added power, and set the carburetor heat to the 'cold' position. The airplane became airborne and started to 'porpoise'. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, traveled through the grass, crossed a taxiway, and came to rest in wet grassy terrain 1,000 feet from the runway. The airplane firewall, left wing spar, and rear inner spar were damaged.
Factual narrative
On May 17, 1994, at 1536 central standard time, a Cessna 150M, N150CL, was substantially damaged during landing at Spring, Texas. The student pilot did not receive injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local solo instructional flight.
The pilot stated that he was cleared for touch and go on runway 35R at David Wayne Hooks Airport, Spring, Texas. During the right hand pattern turn from base to final, the altitude of the airplane was 800 feet MSL. The pilot decided to make a short field landing. According to his enclosed statement, after touchdown, the pilot "went flaps up, power on, carb heat in. Immediately the plane was airborne, in order to try to stabilize the plane I tried to 'feed out' the flaps slowly. The plane started to porpoise." The pilot was able to stabilize the porpoise but the plane drifted off the runway into soft ground.
The operator and airplane owner reported the airplane departed the left side of runway 35R. Physical evidence indicated the airplane continued through the grass, crossed a taxiway, and came to rest in wet grassy terrain 1,000 feet from the runway. The airplane firewall, left wing spar, and rear inner spar were damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N150CL
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15078186
- Airframe hours
- 4,409
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- National Aviation Services
- Registered owner
- Mock, Joseph R.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Limited (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 1994 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- DWH
- Destination
- DWH
- Airport
- DWH · David Wayne Hooks, runway 35R, 7,000 × 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 53 total · 50 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DWH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.