Cessna 150L N21953

Summary

On 25 July 1996 at about 23:48 local time, a Cessna 150L registered N21953 was involved in an accident near Philippi, West Virginia, 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

25 July 1996 at 23:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Philippi, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

39.1502, -80.0400

Aircraft

Cessna 150L

Registration

N21953

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairmont → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD96LA122

1 person died.

the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol, his resultant improper planning/decision, and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from trees, while maneuvering at low altitude. Intentional maneuvering at low altitude was a related factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness stated that she saw the pilot taxi up, get out of the airplane, and asked for fuel. She stated that she thought she had noted a smell of alcohol on his breath, but was not sure. As the pilot was leaving, the witness told the pilot that the nose tire looked as if it was flat, but the pilot appeared to ignored her. Also, another witness at the airport wondered if the pilot had been drinking. One of the witnesses stated that on takeoff, the nose of the airplane seemed excessively high. Both witnesses thought the airplane was going to stall. Minutes later, witnesses saw the airplane flying low over the pilot's son's house. After making one pass and returning, witnesses stated that they saw the airplane impact the top of a tree, fly out of sight, and then heard the sound of an impact. The son arrived on scene, removed the pilot from the wreckage, and attempted CPR, but to no avail. Toxicology tests showed the pilot's blood and urine had alcohol levels of 123 mg/dl and 206 mg/dl, respectively.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.