Cessna 150M N63614

Summary

On 30 June 1999 at about 22:10 local time, a Cessna 150M registered N63614 was involved in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 June 1999 at 22:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Ford Island Airstrip (NPS)

Coordinates

21.3500, -157.8802

Aircraft

Cessna 150M

Registration

N63614

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA238

Nobody was injured.

The airplane's encounter with turbulent air from the rotor wash of a large military helicopter, which resulted from the instructor's decision to continue the approach while the helicopter was on the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for the joint civil/military airport, the instructor saw a Navy UH3H helicopter on the base leg to the same runway. The CTAF operator cautioned them about wake turbulence. The student asked if he should extend the downwind, but the instructor advised him to just stay above the helicopter's flight path. The instructor said that while turning to the base leg, they could see that the helicopter was still on the runway. On short final approach nearing the runway, the instructor announced their position on the CTAF. The helicopter remained on the runway, so the instructor advised the student to go around. At that point, the airplane was slightly past the runway threshold and the helicopter was about 2,500 feet down the 4,000-foot runway. The instructor stated that as the student initiated the go-around, the aircraft encountered some turbulence, and rolled 90 degrees to the right. The instructor then noticed the helicopter lifting off the ground. He took over the controls but had difficulty maintaining control of the aircraft. He stated that he attempted to fly out of the rotor wash, but didn't have sufficient altitude to maneuver safely. The airplane sank onto its right wing, bounced, and landed on the nose gear, which then collapsed. The airport is an auxiliary landing field for a naval air station. According to the airport facility directory, civil operations were permitted, but limited to daylight VFR conditions, and all aircraft must conform to the traffic pattern and CTAF advisories.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.