Cessna 150 N171RJ

Summary

On 13 April 1996 at about 02:30 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N171RJ, operated by Fountain Rental/Leasing, was involved in an accident near Spiden Island, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 April 1996 at 02:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Spiden Island, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Spiden Island

Coordinates

48.5299, -123.0602

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N171RJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Fountain Rental/Leasing

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Bellingham

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

SEA96LA080

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's selection of an unsuitable airstrip for the landing and subsequent takeoff, and his delay in aborting the takeoff, which resulted in an overrun and collision with an embankment and trees. Factors relating to the accident were: the short, wet, grassy, downhill airstrip conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he had flown into the 1,500-foot grass airstrip earlier in the day with a flight instructor in a Cessna 185. After the landing, he and the instructor took off using 1/3 of the length of the airstrip. Later that day, the pilot rented a Cessna 150 and took a friend on a personal flight to the same airstrip. He stated that he landed the airplane uphill to the east without incident. He then turned around and began a takeoff roll downhill to the west on the wet grass airstrip. The pilot further stated that he aborted the takeoff 2/3 of the way down the strip because he believed he was not getting the necessary airspeed to rotate. He reduced the power and applied brakes, but was unable to stop the airplane before it impacted an embankment and trees on the opposite end of the airstrip. No mechanical malfunction was reported by the pilot. The pilot stated that the airstrip was 'too small' for the aircraft to take off and that he should not have landed there.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.