- Date
- October 30, 1990, 08:05 local (13:05 UTC)
- Place
- Marathon, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3220JCessna 150G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19901030047409A
- Case key
- 32735
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-in-command's failure to maintain airspeed, while attempting to make a forced landing following a partial loss of engine power. Fatigue failure of the center rocker boss on the #3 cylinder 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
While on a x-wind after a tough-&-go lndg, a partial loss of eng power occurred. The instructor (CFI) took ctl & mnvrd the acft to land. The acft was not aligned with the rwy, so the CFI elected to land in a grass area. He stated that while dscndg thru about 100' AGL, 'the yoke fell backward' into his lap. He believed that the elevator cable had failed, which allowed the acft to crash. However, according to witnesses, a steep turn was made in an atmt to align the acft for landing; then the acft leveled off at about 30' AGL & was at a slow speed. The acft then entered a steep dscnt & crashed. No preimpact mechanical problem was found with the flt ctl sys. A metallurgical exam showed that the elevator up cable had failed under a tensile load while being bent around an edge or corner. An exam of the eng revealed that the center rocker boss on the #3 cylinder had failed in fatigue. The fatigue had originated where numbers were embossed into the boss drg manufacture.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3220J
- Reported as
- Cessna 150G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15065920
- Airframe hours
- 4,922
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Blue Max, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 30, 1990 · 57 hours before
- Airport
- MTH · Marathon, runway 7, 5,008 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 27
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 320 total · 23 in this make and model · 209 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 47 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MTH
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 N3220J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.