# NTSB NYC02LA087: Cessna 150H, N502MA, Smithville, OH, April 19, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 19, 2002, 17:05 local (21:05 UTC) - Place: Smithville, OH - Coordinates: 40.874721, -81.888053 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8747&lon=-81.8881&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 17, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 54563 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC02LA087 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54563/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54563 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC02LA087 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A factor was the gusty winds ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - aborted - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - Nose over, landing - aborted ## Analysis The pilot reported that he was practicing take-off's and landings on runway 28, and on his fourth landing, the airplane was hit by a strong gust of wind. The pilot reported that he added power to perform a go-around, but was unable to keep the airplane on the runway. About 1705, the airplane departed the runway on the left side, crossed a bank, and nosed over in a field. The recorded weather recorded at the airport at 1652 included winds from 270 degrees at 8 knots. At 1707, the winds were reported from 340 degrees at 7 knots with gusts to 26 knots. ## Factual narrative On April 19, 2002, about 1705 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150H, N502MA, was substantially damaged during an aborted landing at Wayne County Airport, Smithville, Ohio. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot stated: "I was practicing take-offs and landings [on runway 28]. I had done 3 landings and was on the 4th when all of a sudden the wind changed and picked up like a big microburst. I tried to keep the plane on the runway, but the wind was too strong. I gave it full throttle to try and get back into the air, but it picked me up and pushed me across the runway and over a bank, into a field where it flipped [over]." In a follow-up telephone interview, the pilot reported that he had not observed any dust blowing or thunderstorms while in the traffic pattern. He did report that while on final approach, he noticed an increased crab for the crosswind. The airplane had just touched down and was on all three wheels, when it was hit by a gust and turned. He also reported that prior to the accident, the windsock had been hanging limp, and about 20 minutes after the accident, the winds had decreased to light winds. According to an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the vertical fin was crushed. The nose landing gear was separated from the airplane, and the firewall was wrinkled. In addition, the left wing tip was pushed in and the wing skin was wrinkled. The FAA inspector further reported that the airplane departed the left side of the runway, crossed a grassy area, followed by a taxiway, and then came to rest in a plowed field upside down. According to archived airport weather reports taken from Wayne County Airport, at 1553, the wind was from 260 degrees at 7 knots, at 1653, the wind was from 270 degrees at 8 knots, and at 1707, it was from 340 degrees at 17 knots with gusts to 26 knots. According to data from the FAA, runway 28 was 5,192 feet long, 100 feet wide, and had an asphalt surface. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N502MA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N502MA-2016-09-07), registration cancelled 2016-09-07, S/N 15067576, built 1967 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 150H - Registry model: [Cessna 150H](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150h) (registry code 2071818) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15067576 - Airframe hours: 7460 - Engines: Continental O-200 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Mid-Ohio Aviation Inc - Registered owner: Mid-Ohio Aviation - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, December 14, 2001, 75 hours before - Departed: BJJ, Smithville, OH - Destination: BJJ - Airport: BJJ, Wayne County Airport, runway 28, 5,192 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review February 9, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 452 total, 39 in this make and model, 406 as pilot in command, 2 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 340° at 17 knots, gusting 26 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: BJJ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020419010899A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020419010899A), Apr 19, 2002: Cessna 150H, Wooster, OH, No damage. (-23) On April 19th, 2002, at approximately 1700 local a commercial rated pilot was practicing take-off and landings at Wayne County Airport (bjj) runway 28.… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 27, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54563. 447 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 357 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40432510&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Recorded Weather (item 2, .PDF, 90 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40174877&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Recorded%20Weather-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.