# NTSB WPR18LA151: Cessna 150M, N6AF, Bainbridge Island, WA, May 28, 2018 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 27, 2018, 17:05 local (May 28, 2018, 00:05 UTC) - Place: Bainbridge Island, WA - Coordinates: 47.723888, -122.543891 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.7239&lon=-122.5439&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-descent: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal, 1 serious - Status: Completed, report July 13, 2020 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - NTSB case key (mKey): 97330 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR18LA151 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/97330/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97330 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18LA151 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the water and his distraction by using the tablet for navigation, which resulted in his failure to detect that the airplane had entered a descent. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause) - [Attention/monitoring: attention](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021510): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot (probable cause) - [Attention/monitoring: task monitoring/vigilance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021520): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot (probable cause) - [Attention/monitoring: monitoring environment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot (probable cause) - [Use of equip/info: use of charts](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063025): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause) ## Analysis The private pilot and passenger departed on a pleasure flight over the water; radar data showed that the airplane was at an altitude about 700 ft mean sea level. The passenger stated that she was concerned about how low the airplane was flying, but the pilot reassured her that they were fine and able to fly safely 200 ft above the water. The pilot then looked down at his tablet, which he was using for navigation, and the passenger saw him push the flight control yoke forward. The airplane descended and subsequently impacted the water and nosed over. The passenger was able to egress on her own as the airplane began to sink; however, the pilot appeared unconscious and did not exit the airplane. Neither the wreckage nor the pilot's remains were recovered. Although the wreckage could not be examined, the passenger reported no mechanical problems with the airplane before the impact. It is likely that, as the pilot was looking down at his tablet, he inadvertently pushed the control yoke forward, causing the airplane to descend into the water. Because of his distraction in using his tablet to navigate, he failed to detect the descent. ## Factual narrative On May 27, 2018, about 1705 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150M airplane, N6AF, was substantially damaged when it impacted water near Bainbridge Island, Washington. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the passenger, before departure from Harvey Field Airport (S43), Snohomish, Washington, the pilot used his iPad for navigation via the ForeFlight application. They took off and landed at Vashon Island, Washington. After takeoff from Vashon Island, while flying over the water, the passenger told the pilot that she thought the airplane was too low. The pilot replied that they were fine and that they were able to fly safely 200 ft above the water. The passenger stated that the pilot looked down at the iPad and she saw him push the flight control yoke forward. The airplane subsequently impacted the water and flipped over. The passenger reported that she blacked out for a short time. When she regained consciousness, she saw the pilot still restrained by his seat belt and slumped over; he appeared to be unconscious. The passenger was able to egress on her own as the airplane began to sink. The passenger reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane before the impact. An individual on a boat in the area of the accident site saw the splash of water when the airplane impacted the water, marked the location via a GPS device, and rescued the passenger. A witness on the shore was looking out toward the water when she saw a low-flying airplane. The airplane came into view and was descending in a nose-low attitude. She initially thought it was going to skim the water and perform a loop, but the airplane continued its descent until it impacted the water. The airplane flipped over and quickly sank. Radar data captured the airplane as it departed to the south from Vashon Island, then turned northbound over the waterway on the west side of Vashon Island. The flight continued north over the water at an altitude of about 700 ft mean sea level (msl) until radar contact was lost about 0.1 nautical mile from the accident site. Search efforts on the day of the accident were unsuccessful in locating the wreckage. On June 14, an independent dive team located the wreckage inverted on the sea floor at a depth of 176 ft below the surface. The airplane was not recovered at that time. When the dive team returned to recover the wreckage, it was no longer at that location and could not be located again. The pilot's remains were not recovered. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-descent: Altitude deviation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/282) - [Enroute-descent: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120) (defining event) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6AF](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6AF-2021-04-03), registration cancelled 2021-04-03, S/N 15076185, built 1974 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 150M (M) - Registry model: [Cessna 150M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150m) (registry code 2071830) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15076185 - Year built: 1974 - Engines: CONT MOTOR O-200 SERIES 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Departed: S43, Snohomish, WA - Destination: Bainbridge Island, WA - Flight plan: VFR - Equipment: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 70; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 59 °F, dew point 46 °F - Altimeter: 30.26 inHg - Observed at: KSEA, 19 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20180527015079A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180527015079A), May 27, 2018: Cessna 150M, Bainbridge Isla, WA, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Based on radar tracking and witnesses? Statements a Cessna 150 was flying low (less than approximately 150?) Over the waters of puget sound Washington. It was… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 19, 2020, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97330. 1.7 MB in all. - Witness Statement (Passenger) (item 1, .PDF, 98 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40483809&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statement%20(Passenger)-Master.PDF - Witness Statement (Thompson) (item 2, .PDF, 55 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40483810&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statement%20(Thompson)-Master.PDF - Radar Data Plotted (FAA) (item 3, .PDF, 1.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40483811&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Radar%20Data%20Plotted%20(FAA)-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.