Cessna 150 N7973F

Summary

On 10 February 1996 at about 02:50 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N7973F was involved in an accident near Galveston, Texas, 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

10 February 1996 at 02:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Galveston, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Galveston Municipal (GLS)

Coordinates

29.2498, -94.9197

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N7973F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Huntsville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW96FA113

1 person died.

the pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to sufficient altitude. Factors relating to the accident were: darkness, foggy weather conditions, the pilot's lack of instrument experience, his lack of recent flight time, and spatial disorientation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Weather along the route of flight was VFR until the airplane reached the destination airport, where the weather was IMC at night with heavy fog. According to airport authorities and en route ATC and AFSS facilities, no radio communication was received from the pilot after he filed his initial VFR flight plan. He received a weather brief (valid until 1830 CST) from an AFSS before his initial departure at 1636 CST. The pilot refueled en route and departed the refueling airport at about 1915. After an overdue message was received, airport personnel at the destination located the wreckage at 2120, approximately 1,550 feet beyond the departure end of runway 35. The wreckage (including ground scars) was distributed over a 160 foot area and on a heading of 350 degrees. The pilot was not instrument rated and his last flight was 105 days before the accident. He had logged about 250 hours of flight time, of which 5 hours were simulated instrument time, but no actual instrument time was logged. Also, he had about 23 hours of night time. No uncorrected defects were found in the maintenance records; physical examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies. The altimeter at the accident site was 30.03. The pilot had 29.91 dialed into the altimeter. According to the pilot of another airplane, who flew the ILS approach at about 2115 cst, he entered a fog at about 400 feet agl and made a missed approach at the decision height, because the 'the runway lights were not visible and the incandescent approach lights were barely visible.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.