- Date
- May 5, 1991, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fernley, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N45301Cessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910505014179A
- Case key
- 27193
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 failure of the pilot to adequately assess the climb performance of the accident airplane due to being under the influence of alcohol.
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 certificated private pilot with one passenger departed a rural gravel airstrip for a local flight. The pilot utilized a soft field takeoff procedure but was unable to climb after retracting the airplane flaps. The airplane, loaded within .3 pounds of its gross weight, started to settle toward rising terrain after only climbing about 50 feet above the ground. The pilot made an emergency landing on a road about a mile from the airstrip and during the landing, the airplane nosed over. Law enforcement personnel responded and noted that the airplane and pilot bore the odor of alcohol beverages. After an investigation, the pilot was arrested for operating an aircraft under the influence of alcohol.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45301
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15076831
- Airframe hours
- 4,059
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert Miller
- Registered owner
- Robert Miller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 12, 1991 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Fernley, NV
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 18,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO, 25 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.