- Date
- September 12, 2019, 08:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Memphis, TN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N21979Cessna 150
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 11, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190912012999A
- Case key
- 100257
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 student pilot's improper landing flare and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action during landing, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and impact with terrain.
Findings · 3
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 student pilot reported that, during landing, she flared the airplane early and that it then skipped on the runway during touchdown. The airplane drifted right, and the flight instructor then took the flight controls, but the airplane continued right. The airplane then lifted off about midfield, spun, and came to rest in grass right of the runway. The flight instructor reported that he was a new instructor. He added that, while the student was landing, the approach was high and slow as the airplane crossed the threshold, that the student flared "very high," and that he attempted to instruct her on how to recover, but she unexpectedly "pitched [the airplane] up further." He took control of the airplane, applied full power, retracted the flaps, and attempted a go-around. He added that the airplane was struggling to stay airborne and that he was concerned that it might impact some construction cranes beyond the end of the runway, so he turned right, and the airplane impacted the ground right of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and engine mounts. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, during landing, she flared early, and the airplane skipped during touchdown. The airplane drifted right, the flight instructor took the flight controls, but the airplane continued right. The airplane then lifted off about midfield, then "pancaked and spun" and came to rest in the grass to the right of the runway. The flight instructor reported that he was a new flight instructor. He added that, while the student pilot was landing, the approach was high and slow as the airplane crossed the threshold. He added that she flared "very high," he attempted to instruct her how to recover, but she unexpectedly "pitched up further." He took control of the airplane, applied full power, retracted flaps, and attempted a go around. The airplane was struggling to stay airborne and he was concerned the airplane might impact some construction cranes beyond the end of the runway, so he attempted to turn right. The airplane impacted the ground to the right of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and engine mounts. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21979
- Reported as
- Cessna 150 (L)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15074585
- Built
- 1973
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- M01 · Memphis, TN
- Destination
- M01 · Memphis, TN
- Airport
- M01 · General Dewitt Spain, runway 17, 3,800 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 13, 2017
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 23,000 total · 10,000 as pilot in command · 143 in the last 90 days · 77.8 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- KMEM, 9 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 7, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.8 MB 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.