Cessna 150L Safety Record

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED DURING CLIMBOUT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE, AND THE OVER MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT CONDITION OF THE AIRCRAFT.

STUDENT PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND PROPER ALIGNMENT WITH TIMELY MANNER AFTER A BOUNCED LANDING. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PRESENCE OF A RIGHT QUARTERING HEADWIND.

FAILURE OF PACKING AROUND THE CARBURETOR ACCELERATOR PUMP, WHICH HAD JAMMED THROTTLE MOVEMENT AND WOULD NOT ALLOW AN INCREASE IN ENGINE RPM ABOVE IDLE.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO USE THE BEFORE LANDING CHECKLIST WHICH REQUIRES THE APPLICATION OF CARBURETOR HEAT. FACTORS WERE SOFT TERRAIN AT ACCIDENT SITE, AND CONDITION FAVORABLE FOR THE FORMATION OF CARBURETOR ICE.

POOR JUDGEMENT OF THE PILOT AFTER CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE, HIS DECISION TO MAKE LOW PASSES AT NIGHT (BUZZING), FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE, AND DIVERSION OF HIS ATTENTION. DARKNESS WAS A RELATED FACTOR.

FAILURE OF THE STUDENT PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT GROUND SWERVE. THE GUSTY CROSSWIND AND PROXIMITY OF THE PARKED AIRCRAFT WERE RELATED FACTORS.

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.

A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DUE TO THE PILOT'S INABILITY TO RAISE THE FLAPS WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL. THE FLAP FAILURE AND SUBSEQUENT FULL FLAP TAKEOFF WERE THE RESULT OF THE OPERATOR'S IMPROPER MAINTENANCE OF THE AIRPLANE AND THE OPERATOR'S USE OF A CUSTOM CHECKLIST THAT DEVIATED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE MANUFACTURER'S APPROVED CHECKLIST. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ENSURE THAT THE FLAPS WERE FULLY RETRACTED PRIOR TO TAKEOFF, AND THE OPERATOR'S INADEQUATE INITIAL TRAINING OF THE PILOT.

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED ABOVE STALL SPEED, AND A STALL/SPIN ENCOUNTERED WITH INADEQUATE ALTITUDE FOR RECOVERY. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THUNDERSTORM, PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING NOT OBTAINED AND POOR WEATHER EVALUATION BY THE PILOT.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ASSURE THAT THE FLAPS WERE IN THE UP POSITION DURING TAKEOFF. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH AIRCRAFT.

FUEL SYSTEM EXHAUSTION DUE TO THE IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, ON THE GROUND, PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT AND THE IMPROPER INFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE STUDENT PILOT.

THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT DID NOT ADEQUATELY PLAN FOR THE FLIGHT IN THAT HE DID NOT CALCULATE THE FUEL CONSUMPTION ACCURATELY, FAILED TO PROVIDE FOR ADEQUATE FUEL RESERVES, AND ALSO FAILED TO LAND AT AIRPORTS SHORT OF HIS DESTINATION EVEN THOUGH HE WAS AWARE OF HIS LOW FUEL STATE.

THE STUDENT PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHEN HE MISJUDGED THE HEIGHT OF THE LANDING FLARE. THE RECOVERY FROM THE BOUNCED LANDING WAS INADEQUATE AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED UPON IMPACT WITH THE RUNWAY.