- Date
- October 2, 1997, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Georgetown, DE
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N63235Cessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 39479
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 student pilot's improper recovery from the bounced landing and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
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 airplane bounced during landing touchdown on Runway 31. The student pilot initiated a go-around with minimal airspeed, deflecting the control wheel aft. The airplane entered a departure stall extremely close to the ground, and the CFI attempted a recovery immediately. The CFI assured the throttle was full forward, and the airplane continued in its stalled attitude to the ground.
Factual narrative
On October 2, 1997 about 1230 Eastern Daylight Time, N63235, a Cessna 150M, was substantially damaged during landing at Sussex County Airport (GED), Georgetown, Delaware. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and the student pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The instructional flight originated in Dover, Delaware, and was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the CFI, the airplane bounced during landing touchdown on Runway 31. The student pilot then "initiated a go-around with minimal airspeed," deflecting the control wheel aft. The CFI stated that the airplane entered a "departure stall extremely close to the ground," and attempted a recovery immediately. The CFI assured the throttle was full forward and "the airplane continued in its stalled state to the ground."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration Inspector who examined the accident site, the airplane struck the ground in a nose-down attitude off the left side of the runway. The Inspector reported that the instructor and student pilot had 700 and 20 hours of total time, respectively.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63235
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15077193
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Diamond Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 33N · Cheswold, DE
- Destination
- GED
- Airport
- GED · Sussex County Airport, runway 31, 2,330 × 50 ft, concrete
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
- 35
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 737 total · 72 in this make and model · 638 as pilot in command · 127 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DOV, 27 nm away