IAD98LA052

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 150 · Wadsworth, OH · May 6, 1998

Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
May 6, 1998, 17:40 local (21:40 UTC)
Place
Wadsworth, OH
Injuries
1 serious
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N21971Cessna 150
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report June 22, 2000
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19980506008489A
Case key
28293

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during an aborted landing which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.

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.

Loss of control - in flightLanding - aborted
Airspeed - inadequatePilot in commandCause
Stall/spin - inadvertentPilot in command
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled
Terrain condition - crop

Analysis

The student pilot was completing his second supervised solo flight. The airplane touched down half way down the 3,500-foot-long runway, and bounced about 4 to 6 feet in the air. The instructor said that he used a handheld radio to communicate with the pilot and called to the pilot to 'reflare,' but there was no response. He heard the sound of full power being applied. The airplane climbed in a nose high attitude to about 100 feet, banked left, rotated 180 degrees, and nosed into a corn field. The pilot had 21 hours of total flight experience, all in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The pilot said that the accident could have been prevented if he had more training at a small airport, such as the accident airport. Examination of the wreckage by an FAA Inspector revealed the carburetor heat in the cold position, and the flaps set at 40 degrees (full flaps). The examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Factual narrative

On May 6, 1998, at 1740 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150, N21971, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during an aborted landing at the Wadsworth Municipal Airport (3G3), Wadsworth, Ohio. The student pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and had originated at Akron Canton Regional, Akron, Ohio.

According to the pilot's certified flight instructor (CFI), this was the pilot's second supervised solo. He was required to complete three supervised solos at three different airports. The pilot had completed his first supervised solo successfully at Akron Fulton International airport a week earlier.

The CFI said on the day of the accident, they had completed three touch and go landings earlier. The CFI then asked the pilot if he was ready to solo at 3G3, and the pilot said he was ready. The CFI got out of the airplane, and used a handheld radio to communicate with the pilot.

The pilot said that during the first touch and go landing that he completed, he elected to make a full stop landing as he had bounced upon touchdown, and he had used up at least a third of the runway. On the second landing, he touched down half way down the 3,500 foot-long runway, bounced, and the plane veered to the left. He tried to go-around , but the propeller caught the top of the some trees and pulled the airplane into an open field.

The CFI said the second approach seemed normal; however, upon touchdown, the airplane bounced about 4 to 6 feet in the air. He said he called to the pilot to "reflare," but there was no response, and he heard the sound of full power being applied. He said that they had practiced go-around procedures which included full power, carburetor heat cold, and retract the flaps in stages.

A witness, also a CFI, reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, that the airplane climbed in a nose high attitude to about 100 feet, banked left, rotated 180 degrees, and nosed into the corn field.

The pilot had over 21 hours of total flight experience, all in make and model. He said that the accident could have been prevented if he had more training at a small airport such as the accident airport

Examination of the wreckage by an FAA Inspector revealed the carburetor heat in the cold position, and the flaps set at 40 degrees (full flaps). The examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded operation.

Aircraft

Registration
N21971
Reported as
Cessna 150
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15074579
Airframe hours
9,652
Engine
Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Registered owner
Kathy S Long
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · April 24, 1998
Departed
3G3
Airport
3G3 · Wadsworth Muni, runway 20, 3,536 × 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
34
Certificate
Student
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Left
Flight hours
21 total · 21 in this make and model · 15 in the last 90 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
220° at 6 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
25,000 ft overcast
Temperature
68 °F, dew point 52 °F
Altimeter
29.00 inHg
Observed at
CAK, 35 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.

Other investigations on N21971 · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.