Cessna 150F N7915F

Summary

On 26 September 2010 at about 14:59 local time, a Cessna 150F registered N7915F, operated by Doug Hair, was involved in an accident near Sweetwater, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 September 2010 at 14:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Sweetwater, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.5964, -84.3553

Aircraft

Cessna 150F

Registration

N7915F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Doug Hair

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marietta → Knoxville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10FA503

1 person died.

The pilot's inadequate preflight weather planning and improper decision to continue a visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot did not possess an instrument rating and had not logged any actual instrument experience. During the 2 days prior to the accident flight, the pilot had completed two cross-country flights uneventfully and he was returning home on the accident flight. The pilot did not contact the flight service station for a weather briefing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport; however, instrument meteorological conditions were present along the route of flight and near the destination airport. About 1 hour into the cross-country flight, the airplane impacted hilly terrain about 1,300 feet mean sea level (msl). Radar data indicated that 1 minute prior to the accident, the airplane began a right turn, followed by a descending left turn, with the last recorded target at 1,600 feet msl about 1/4 mile from the accident site. One witness stated that it was foggy in the area at the time of the accident. The recorded weather at a nearby airport, located at 1,031 feet msl, included an overcast ceiling at 600 feet. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. If neither horizon or surface references exist, the attitude of an airplane must be determined by artificial means from the flight instruments. However, during periods of low visibility, the supporting senses sometimes conflict with what is seen, and when this happens, a pilot is particularly vulnerable to spatial disorientation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.