- Date
- May 14, 2004, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sacramento, KY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7795ECessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040514007419A
- Case key
- 59247
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's improper decision to land with a tailwind, and his inadequate compensation for the wind conditions. A factor was the tailwind.
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
According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff from runway 34, at an altitude of about 1,000 feet, he observed "dark clouds" surrounding the airport, and decided to return to the airport to land. As he turned onto final approach at 700 feet, and about 65 mph, he noticed the wind was blowing from the southwest, and applied left aileron and right rudder to compensate for it. During the landing flare, a gust of wind blew the airplane to the right. The airplane touched down on the right side of the runway, but the pilot was unable to maintain correction with full left rudder and braking. The airplane then continued off the runway, and impacted a parked car and then a garage door on the airport, before coming to rest.
Winds reported at an airport about 40 miles to the southwest, at 1353, were from 180 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
Factual narrative
On May 14, 2004, at 1430 central daylight time, a Cessna 150, N7795E, was substantially damaged during landing at the David Lowe Airport (80KY), Sacramento, Kentucky. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff from runway 34, at an altitude of about 1,000 feet, he observed "dark clouds" surrounding the airport, and decided to return to the airport to land. As he turned onto final approach at 700 feet, and about 65 mph, he noticed the wind was blowing from the southwest, and applied left aileron and right rudder to compensate for it. During the landing flare, a gust of wind blew the airplane to the right. The airplane touched down on the right side of the runway, but the pilot was unable to maintain correction with full left rudder and braking. The airplane then continued off the runway, and impacted a parked car and then a garage door on the airport, before coming to rest.
Winds reported at an airport about 40 miles to the southwest, at 1353, were from 180 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7795E
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17595
- Airframe hours
- 4,348
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William Logan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 4, 2004 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- 80KY · Sacramento, KY
- Destination
- 80KY
- Airport
- 80KY · David Lowe Airport, runway 34, 1,700 × 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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- November 9, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 271 total · 133 in this make and model · 180 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- BWG, 40 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.