Cessna 150J N50609

Summary

On 18 October 2017 at about 15:45 local time, a Cessna 150J registered N50609 was involved in an accident near Willmar, Minnesota, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 October 2017 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Willmar, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Willmar Municipal Airport (BDH)

Coordinates

45.1100, -95.1294

Aircraft

Cessna 150J

Registration

N50609

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Willmar → Willmar

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA015

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper conduct of the soft-field takeoff, which led to his failure to attain adequate airspeed, and the flight instructor’s subsequent improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that, when he initiated the takeoff for a flight review on the damp, soft runway, the airplane accelerated slowly. The flight instructor reported that he felt the airplane's nose "dive" twice, so he instructed the pilot to increase back pressure and get the airplane in ground effect because of the soft runway. The instructor then took control of the airplane, and it lifted off the runway and subsequently became airborne about 2,000 ft down the 3,000-ft-long runway. The instructor lowered the nose in ground effect to gain airspeed, but the airplane did not accelerate, and it was nearing an aerodynamic stall. The instructor then chose to land on a nearby field. He turned the airplane toward the field but had to level it off because he was concerned it was going to stall. During the landing, he flared the airplane too high, and the airplane impacted the field hard on the main landing gear. The nose landing gear dug into the soft terrain and collapsed, and the airplane then nosed over. During a postaccident test-run, the engine started without hesitation. The engine ran smoothly at various power settings, including full throttle. Given that the engine operated normally during the postaccident test-run, it is likely that the airplane did not accelerate properly due to the pilot's improper soft-field takeoff, which resulted in his failure to attain adequate airspeed. The instructor's subsequent improper landing flare led to a hard, forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.