- Date
- April 12, 1987, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Council Bluffs, IA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N50223Cessna 150-H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870412079629A
- Case key
- 34284
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Acquaintances stated that the student pilot was very motivated in the pursuit of his private pilot certificate and that, on the day of the accident, he was looking forward to this first solo flight. According to his instructor-pilot, who also witnessed the accident, the student accomplished a successful first solo flight and taxied back for further instructions. After a short debriefing and discussion with his instructor the student taxied back to the runway and made a normal take-off, climbout, and closed-circuit traffic pattern. During final approach, other witnesses stated, the aircraft began increasing the pitch attitude and losing altitude without any substantial input in power. The student suddenly broke off the approach while over the runway threshold and proceeded in an erratic, nose-high, left turn maneuver back to the airport. He continued in this configuration until the aircraft appeared to lose control in a stall-spin then plummet, nose first to the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N50223
- Reported as
- Cessna 150-H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15069148
- Airframe hours
- 1,943
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Council Bluffs Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- George H. Cunningham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 25, 1987 · 100 hours before
- Airport
- CBF · Council Bluiffs
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 14 total · 14 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OMA, 7 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.