Cessna 150M N714CW

Summary

On 19 September 2015 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna 150M registered N714CW was involved in an accident near Mount Airy, Maryland, United States. One person was 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

19 September 2015 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mount Airy, Maryland, United States

Coordinates

39.3458, -77.2167

Aircraft

Cessna 150M

Registration

N714CW

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Westminster → Leesburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA368

Nobody was injured.

The in-flight fatigue failure of the No. 4 cylinder barrel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, about 10 minutes after departure, when the airplane was at 2,500 ft mean sea level, the engine was not producing full power. He adjusted his course to be near an airport as a precaution. Shortly after, the engine began to run roughly, then lost more power. The pilot declared an emergency and found a field for landing; during the approach, he adjusted his path to avoid power lines and attempted a downwind approach and landing to the opposite direction. He realized he could not make the field, so he landed on an adjacent field of mature corn. As his airplane touched down, it flipped over, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the No. 4 cylinder had fractured at the barrel portion of the cylinder, separating from the bottom of the cylinder attach point. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed a fatigue crack that emanated from a corrosion pit on the outer surface of the barrel portion. The fatigue failure of the No. 4 cylinder barrel led to the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.