Cessna 150 N11764

Summary

On 9 November 2007 at about 22:23 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N11764, operated by Pegasus Aviation, was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 November 2007 at 22:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Palmer Muni (PAQ)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N11764

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Pegasus Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palmer → Palmer

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ANC08LA018

2 people were seriously injured.

The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the student, and his delayed go-around. Contributing to the accident was dark night conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certificated flight instructor (CFI) was providing flight instruction to a student pilot. While on a northerly approach to the runway, during dark night conditions, the CFI said he inadvertently allowed the student pilot to descend too steeply, and with a high airspeed. His verbal command for the student to stop the excessive descent and slow the airspeed was initially followed, but the student pilot again allowed the airplane to attain a rapid descent rate and high airspeed as the approach continued. The CFI took control of the airplane, added full engine power, and initiated a go-around. During the attempted go-around, the CFI said he encountered severe windshear. He wrote, in part: "I felt the aircraft had gotten into a severe vertical windshear, and no amount of power we had available was stopping the rate of descent, and we hit the ground." The airplane collided with a stand of trees and came to rest inverted, about 300 yards short of the approach end of the runway, sustaining substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. At the time of the accident wind conditions were reported to be 350 degrees (true) at 9 knots. An FAA airworthiness inspector reported that during his postaccident inspection of the airplane, no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane were discovered. Due to the absence of any mechanical problems with the airplane, the dark night conditions, and the relatively light winds reported at the time of the accident, it is probable that the accident could have been prevented if the CFI had provided better supervision of the student and initiated a go-around sooner.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.