- Date
- June 1, 1997, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Elkton, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N22935Cessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 2, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970601047019A
- Case key
- 39365
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 failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in the airplane veering right, and striking trees.
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 private pilot departed on a local flight. While over flying his farm, he decided to land on the farm's 1,600 foot grass strip. The pilot stated the wind sock was pointing straight down the runway and he executed a soft field landing. Immediately after the main gear touched down, the airplane began to veer right. The right wing struck trees, and bent upward. The airplane spun around 180 degrees, and was thrown backward. The left wing also impacted trees. The pilot reported that the right brake had grabbed after landing, which caused the airplane to veer into the trees. Examination of the aircraft on site, could not confirm that the right brake had grabbed.
Factual narrative
On June 1, 1997, about 1600 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150, N22935, was substantially damaged during landing to a private grass strip in Elkton, Maryland. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he departed on a local flight from Summit Airport, Middletown, Delaware. While over flying his farm, he decided to land on the farm's 1,600 foot grass strip. The pilot stated the wind sock was pointing straight down the runway, and he executed a soft field landing with the stall warning horn being heard intermittently. Immediately after the main gear touched down, the airplane began to veer right. The right wing struck trees, and bent upward. The airplane spun around 180 degrees, and was thrown backward. The left wing also impacted trees.
The pilot reported that the right brake had grabbed after landing, which caused the airplane to veer into the trees.
Examination of the brake system by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector could not confirm that the right brake had grabbed. It was noted that 72.2 hours had elapsed since the brake discs had been replaced with new discs on October 1, 1995.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22935
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15068627
- Airframe hours
- 4,405
- Engine
- Continental O200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- George B. Zebly
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 2, 1996 · 45 hours before
- Departed
- N92 · Middletown, DE
- Airport
- NONE, runway 8, 1,600 × 150 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
- 81
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 476 total · 369 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.