- Date
- February 20, 1995, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Carefree, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2688JCessna 150G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950220002279A
- Case key
- 29041
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 premature retraction of the flaps and failure to maintain an adequate airspeed during a go-around, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush.
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 said he intended to land at the airstrip to examine the surrounding land for possible camping trips. He planned to meet his son, who was driving to the site in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. The pilot said he was high during the approach to the 1,000-foot-long dirt strip and decided to execute a go-around after floating about 2/3 of the way down the runway. The pilot said he applied full power and retracted the flaps. He reported that the engine 'sputtered' momentarily then 'caught;' however, he let the airspeed get too slow and the aircraft stalled. The aircraft settled into the ground about 1/4 mile beyond the runway. A postcrash fire erupted and consumed the aircraft, to include all engine accessories. In his written report, the pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures of the aircraft.
Factual narrative
On February 20, 1995, at 1530 mountain standard time, a Cessna 150G, N2688J, collided with the ground during an attempted go- around at a private dirt airstrip near Carefree, Arizona. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and included calm winds according to the pilot. No flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed in the collision sequence and postcrash fire. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at the Glendale, Arizona, airport on the day of the accident at 1415 hours.
In an interview with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors, the pilot said he intended to land at the airstrip to examine the surrounding land for possible camping trips. He planned to meet his son, who was driving to the site in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. The pilot said he was high during the approach to the 1,000-foot-long dirt strip and decided to execute a go-around after floating about 2/3 of the way down the runway. The pilot said he applied full power and retracted the flaps. He reported that the engine "sputtered" momentarily then "caught;" however, he let the airspeed get too slow and the aircraft stalled. The aircraft settled into the ground about 1/4 mile beyond the runway. A postcrash fire erupted and consumed the aircraft, to include all engine accessories. In his written report, the pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures of the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2688J
- Reported as
- Cessna 150G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15065688
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Westly D. Witter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 30, 1994
- Departed
- GUE · Glendale, AZ
- Destination
- NONE
- Airport
- Red Creek Airstrip, runway 27, 1,000 × 30 ft, dirt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 138 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
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 N2688J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.