MIA03CA041

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 150K · Everglades City, FL · January 11, 2003

Accident · Serious injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
January 11, 2003, 15:53 local (20:53 UTC)
Place
Everglades City, FL
Injuries
1 serious, 1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N5629GCessna 150K
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 23, 2003
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20030111000029A
Case key
56331

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 instructor's failure to maintain airspeed during climb after lift off from an aborted landing, resulting in the airplane stalling, entering a spin, and crashing into water at the departure end of the runway. Contributing to the accident was the instructor's improper monitoring of the dual student and the instructor's failure to abort an attempted go around when directional control was lost.

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.

Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Supervision - improperPilot in command(cfi)Cause
Flare - improperDual student
Loss of control - on ground/waterGo-around (vfr)
Directional control - not maintainedDual student
Go-around - continuedPilot in command(cfi)Cause
Loss of control - in flightGo-around (vfr)
Airspeed(vs) - not maintainedPilot in command(cfi)Cause
Stall/spin - inadvertentPilot in command(cfi)
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled
Terrain condition - water

Analysis

The instructor stated that the student was on a stable approach to runway 33, and when crossing the runway threshold the student brought the power to idle and immediately entered the landing flare. The airplane contacted the runway and bounced. The student advanced the throttle to initiate a go-around, and the airplane pitched up and banked approximately 10 degrees to the left. At this time the instructor took control of the aircraft and with both the student and instructor on the controls, the airplane banked right toward the runway. The student then let go of the controls. The aircraft continued to the right off the runway and impacted runway edge lights. He continued the go-around, raised the wing flaps, and checked that the carburetor heat was off. The airplane was airborne off the end of the runway but performance was poor. To avoid trees beyond the water inlet off the departure end, the instructor initiated a shallow left turn and ditched the airplane in the water. The right wheel impacted the water and rotated the airplane about 180 degrees. The dual student stated he was in the left seat. They approached runway 33 and landed hard. The airplane then ended up in the grass and the instructor took control of the airplane. The instructor got the airplane flying again and they climbed to about 100 feet. The engine was at full power. The airplane stalled, rolled to the right, and nosed down. The airplane then hit the water left wing and left side first. Witnesses stated the airplane landed hard and bounced into the air. The airplane touched down again while in a nose high attitude and full engine power was added. The airplane then ran off the right side of the runway and collided with runway lights and a sign. The elevator remained in the full nose up position and engine power remained at full power. The airplane lifted off and climbed to about 60-100 feet. The airplane then stalled and entered a spin to the right. After about 1/4 turn in a spin, the airplane crashed into the water. The instructor stated they had no mechanical diffilculties with the airplane.

Factual narrative

On January 11, 2003, about 1553 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150K, N5629G, registered to a private individual, crashed into the water at the end of the runway after an aborted landing, at Everglades Airpark, Everglades City, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the commercial-rated flight instructor received minor injuries. The dual student received serious injuries. The flight originated from Naples, Florida, the same day, about 1530.

The instructor stated that the student was on a stable approach to runway 33, and when crossing the runway threshold the student brought the power to idle and immediately entered the landing flare. The airplane contacted the runway and bounced. The student advanced the throttle to initiate a go-around, and the airplane pitched up and banked approximately 10 degrees to the left. At this time the instructor took control of the aircraft and with both the student and instructor on the controls, the airplane banked right toward the runway. The student then let go of the controls. The aircraft continued to the right off the runway and impacted runway edge lights. He continued the go-around, raised the wing flaps, and checked that the carburetor heat was off. The airplane was airborne off the end of the runway but performance was poor. To avoid trees beyond the water inlet off the departure end, the instructor initiated a shallow left turn and ditched the airplane in the water. The right wheel impacted the water and rotated the airplane about 180 degrees. He and the student then exited the airplane through the broken windshield. (See instructor statement).

The dual student stated he was in the left seat. They approached runway 33 at the Everglades Airpark and had to do a go-around due to an airplane being on the runway. They approached runway 33 again and landed hard. The airplane then ended up in the grass and the instructor took control of the airplane. The instructor got the airplane flying again and they climbed to about 100 feet. The engine was at full power. The airplane stalled, rolled to the right, and nosed down. The airplane then hit the water left wing and left side first. He remembers being in the water and being paralized due to a C-3 and C-4 vertabre injury. The instructor came back to the airplane and unbuckled his seat belt and then took him to the surface. (See record of telephone conversation with dual student).

Witnesses stated the airplane landed hard and bounced into the air. The airplane touched down again while in a nose high attitude and full engine power was added. The airplane then ran off the right side of the runway and collided with runway lights and a sign. The elevator remained in the full nose up position and engine power remained at full power. The airplane lifted off and climbed to about 60-100 feet. The airplane then stalled and entered a spin to the right. After about 1/4 turn in a spin, the airplane crashed into the water. (See Sheriff's Department Report).

Aircraft

Registration
N5629G
Reported as
Cessna 150K
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15071129
Engine
Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
Departed
APF · Naples, FL
Destination
X01 · Everglades City, FL
Airport
X01 · Everglades Airpark, runway 33, 2,400 × 50 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
33
Injuries
Minor
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Flight hours
1,950 total · 600 in this make and model · 240 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days
Role
Student pilot
Injuries
Serious
Flight hours
6 total · 6 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
290° at 11 knots
Visibility
6 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
3,900 ft broken
Temperature
70 °F, dew point 64 °F
Altimeter
30.07 inHg
Observed at
KAPF

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 11, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.