Cessna 150J N607BB

Summary

On 11 February 1995 at about 21:18 local time, a Cessna 150J registered N607BB, operated by Donaldson Air Services, Inc., was involved in an accident near Piedmont, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 February 1995 at 21:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Piedmont, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.7102, -82.4592

Aircraft

Cessna 150J

Registration

N607BB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Donaldson Air Services, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greenville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL95FA049

1 person died.

The pilot's inappropriate 'buzzing' that resulted in exceeding the airplane's design stress limits, the failure of the windshield, and the pilot's subsequent loss of control and impact with the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE STUDENT PILOT (59 HOURS TOTAL TIME) WAS OBSERVED TO BE 'BUZZING' A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, SHORTLY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD ENTER A DIVE, THEN PULL STRAIGHT UP, THEN REPEAT. ONE WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IN A DIVE, AND NO RECOVERY WAS MADE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A PARKING LOT IN A NEAR VERTICAL, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. MULTIPLE PIECES OF GREEN PLEXIGLASS WINDSHIELD FRAGMENTS, AND SOME LIGHTWEIGHT ITEMS FROM THE COCKPIT, WERE FOUND WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN BUZZING, WHICH WAS ABOUT 1/2 MILE WEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF IMPACT DAMAGE ON THE PLEXIGLASS FRAGMENTS. THIS EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE PILOT OVERSTRESSED THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE LAST DIVE RECOVERY, RESULTING IN THE WINDSHIELD SHATTERING IN FLIGHT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.