Cessna 150M N714GF

Summary

On 26 July 2001 at about 23:45 local time, a Cessna 150M registered N714GF was involved in an accident near Rapid City, South Dakota, United States. One person was 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

26 July 2001 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Rapid City, South Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Rapid City Regional (RAP)

Coordinates

44.0699, -103.2294

Aircraft

Cessna 150M

Registration

N714GF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rapid City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI01LA253

Nobody was injured.

The student solo pilot failed to compensate for the wind conditions. Factors included the high wind, gusts, and tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane sustained substantial damage prior to taxi when a gust of wind flipped it over on its back. The solo student pilot reported the winds were from the south and under 10 knots and the sky conditions appeared favorable with good visibility. He reported that at 1735 he started the engine and continued to accomplish the checklist items. He reported that about 10 minutes later he was still accomplishing the checklist items and had not started to taxi, when "... all of a sudden, the control wheels started to abruptly move forward and backward…My first reaction was to hold the control wheel forward to stabilize the movement while at the same time I turned to look behind me... In a matter of seconds I felt the tail and [end] of the plane rising up...The next thing I remember is being violently flipped over..." At 1655, the surface weather observation at RAP was: winds 170 degrees at 6 knots, 10 mile visibility, light rain, clear, temperature 24 degrees C, dew point 20 degrees C, altimeter 29.95. At 1759, the surface weather observation at RAP was: winds 140 degrees at 31 knots gusting to 37 kts, 1 3/4 miles visibility, rain, mist, 2,800 feet scattered, 4,900 feet broken, 6,500 feet overcast, temperature 17 degrees C, dewpoint 16 degrees C, altimeter 29.98.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.