Cessna 150 N4658X

Summary

On 24 September 2019 at about 01:45 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N4658X was involved in an accident near Prairie Grove, Arkansas, 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

24 September 2019 at 01:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Prairie Grove, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

35.7875, -94.3550

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N4658X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fayetteville → Mc Kinney

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

CEN19FA332

1 person died.

The noninstrument-rated pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation after encountering instrument meteorological conditions at night.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noninstrument-rated pilot departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight in dark night conditions. Shortly after departure, the airplane entered a left turn followed by a rapid spiraling descent. The airplane impacted terrain in a near-vertical attitude. Examination of the airframe and engine did not detect any preimpact anomalies which would have precluded normal operation. Weather at the time of the accident included the potential for low stratiform-type clouds in the area of the accident site, and it is likely that the pilot encountered these clouds while climbing after takeoff. There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing before the flight, and the weather information he may have accessed before or during the flight could not be determined. The pilot indicated to two different people before the accident flight that he was tired; however, based on the information available, the extent to which the pilot’s fatigue contributed to the accident could not be determined. Review of the pilot’s logbook indicated that he had about 9.5 hours of night flying experience, and according to a friend, wanted to gain more experience flying at night. The pilot had only 3.4 hours of simulated instrument time and no experience in actual instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The dark night and likely IMC present in the area at the time of the accident and the pilot’s limited experience in flying at night and in IMC were conducive to the development of spatial disorientation; the airplane’s rapid spiraling descent before impact is consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. It is likely that the pilot’s visual flight into IMC shortly after takeoff resulted in spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of airplane control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.