MIA02LA105

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 150M · Ormond Beach, FL · June 4, 2002

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 4, 2002, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
Place
Ormond Beach, FL
Injuries
2 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Initial climb
Aircraft
N63591Cessna 150M
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report August 28, 2002
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA FSDO
FAA report
20020604014379A
Case key
54849

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 flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the dual student and failure to take prompt remedial action, resulting in a collision with a tree, a subsequent loss of control, and collision with the ground.

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.

In flight collision with objectTakeoff - initial climb
Supervision - inadequatePilot in command(cfi)Cause
Object - tree(s)
Remedial action - delayedPilot in command(cfi)Cause
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled
Terrain condition - ground

Analysis

The flight instructor stated that the takeoff and initial climb were uneventful, with the engine developing full power, and that during the climb the student pitched up excessively, and the airspeed decayed to near the stall speed. He said he then took control of the aircraft to avert a departure stall, and tried to clear trees at the end of the runway, steering the aircraft toward an area of lower trees, and extending the flaps to forty degrees in an attempt to balloon over the trees, but the left main landing gear became entangled in a tree, and the aircraft crashed incurring substantial damage. An FAA Inspector conducted a postaccident examination of the aircraft and stated that he did not find evidence of any preaccident failures or malfunctions to the aircraft or any of its systems which would have caused the accident.

Factual narrative

On June 4, 2002, about 1230, eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150M, N63591, registered to, and operated by Ormond Beach Aviation Inc., as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, crashed during takeoff/initial climb from the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, Ormond Beach, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage, and the commercial-rated flight instructor and dual student received minor injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

The flight instructor stated that he and his student were initiating a flight, so his student could practice soft and short field takeoffs and landings. He stated that the takeoff and initial climb were uneventful, with the engine developing full power, and that during the climb the student pitched the aircraft up excessively, and the airspeed decayed to near the stall speed. The instructor further stated that he then took control of the aircraft to avert a departure stall, pitching down to attain sufficient airspeed, but the aircraft would not climb sufficiently. As they approached some trees at the end of the runway, he said he steered the aircraft toward an area of lower trees, extending the flaps to 40 degrees, in an attempt to balloon over the trees, but the left main landing gear became entangled in a tree. The aircraft flipped over, coming to rest nearly inverted at the base of a tree, incurring substantial damage.

An FAA Inspector responded to the accident, and conducted an examination of the accident aircraft. The inspector noted that there was extensive structural damage to the aircraft, and stated that he did not find evidence of any preaccident failures or malfunctions to the aircraft or any of its systems which would have caused the accident.

Aircraft

Registration
N63591
Reported as
Cessna 150M
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15077414
Airframe hours
16,264
Engine
Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Registered owner
Ormond Beach Aviation Inc.
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility
Last inspection
Annual · May 16, 2002 · 55.1 hours before
Departed
OMN · Ormond Beach, FL
Destination
OMN
Airport
OMN · Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, runway 08, 4,004 × 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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Flight instructor
Age
27
Injuries
Minor
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Last flight review
August 1, 2001
Seat
Right
Flight hours
432 total · 157 in this make and model · 366 as pilot in command · 96 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Role
Student pilot
Age
32
Injuries
Minor
Certificate
Student
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Left
Flight hours
17 total · 17 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
70° at 10 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
90 °F, dew point 70 °F
Altimeter
30.04 inHg
Observed at
DAB, 8 nm away

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 7, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 418 KB 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.