- Date
- June 6, 1995, 07:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Miles City, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N51146Cessna 150J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950606030789A
- Case key
- 42161
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 flight instructor's inadequate supervision. Factors to the accident were: The student pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control and the downdraft.
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
During a dual instructional flight, the student was practicing a simulated engine out landing to a dirt road. At 150 feet AGL, the pilots felt a bump and the airplane drifted to the right. The student corrected to the left to realign with the road. With full flaps extended, the flight instructor told the student to add full power. The student added full power and turned off the carburetor heat. The airplane leveled off at 50 feet AGL, when another bump was felt. The flight instructor took over when the airplane began a rapid descent and the left wing contacted the ground. The airplane swung around and collided with a ditch nose first. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
On June 6, 1995, at 0745 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 150J, N51146, collided with a ditch next to a dirt road located 35 miles northwest of Miles City, Montana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The flight had originated from Miles City.
In a written statement, the flight instructor reported that the student was practicing a forced landing to a dirt road. An approach was set up using 10 degrees, then 20 degrees of flaps. At 150 feet AGL, the flight instructor stated that they felt a "bump" and the airplane drifted to the right of the road. The student corrected with a shallow turn back to the left to realign with the road. At 100 feet AGL the student extended full flaps. The flight instructor then told the student to apply full power. The student applied full power and turned the carburetor heat off. The airplane leveled off at approximately 50 feet AGL and another "bump" was felt. The flight instructor took over when the airplane began a rapid descent to the right and the left wing contacted the ground. The airplane swung around and collided nose first into a ditch next to the road.
The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51146
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15069794
- Airframe hours
- 5,032
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mitchell, Clifton G.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 11, 1995 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- MLS · MT
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 789 total · 746 in this make and model · 692 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.