- Date
- October 25, 1989, 12:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, MS
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N19007Cessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891025042779A
- Case key
- 32532
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
Suicide. The pilot's emotional state of distress was a related factor.
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
After the plt took off, the acft was observed to enter a climb, which continued until the acft was out of sight. About 3 to 5 min later, the acft was observed in an unusually high rate of descent & in a steep nose down attitude until impact. No pre-acdnt part failure or malfunction was found. The plt was rprtd to be distressed by allegation of a recent illegal activity. In a letter to his parents, he alluded to taking his life.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19007
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15074087
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Prillhart, George
- Registered owner
- Kenneth Prilhart
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 1989 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- ORO · Columbia, MS
- Destination
- ORO
- Airport
- ORO · Columbia
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 500 in this make and model · 4,800 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- JAN, 90 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 N19007 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.