- Date
- July 12, 1989, 11:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Doylestown, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N10659Cessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890712022199A
- Case key
- 36435
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
Improper preflight preparation by the pilot by taking off with the flaps extended, which resulted in an inadequate rate of climb to clear obstructions beyond the end of the runway, and the pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff and his failure in maintaining airspeed, which reduced his ability to flare the aircraft. The high obstructions (trees) near the end of the runway were considered to be a 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
The plt rprtd that drg takeoff, the acft reached an altitude of about 50 to 75 ft, when he noticed the airspeed was slowly dropping. He did not believe the acft would clear trees beyond the end of the rwy, so he elected to abort the takeoff. Subsequently, the acft touched down, nosewheel first, between the end of the rwy & the trees, then it nosed over. Rprtdly, the flaps were in a full down position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10659
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15074953
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gull Aviation,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Gull Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- N88 · Doylestown, PA
- Destination
- N63 · Sussex, NJ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- N88 · Doylestown, runway 5, 3,004 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 70 total · 2 in this make and model · 25 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.