Cessna 150F N6242R

Summary

On 22 May 2006 at about 23:40 local time, a Cessna 150F registered N6242R, operated by Bernstein Aviation, was involved in an accident near Levelland, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 May 2006 at 23:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Levelland, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Levelland Municipal (Q24)

Coordinates

33.5614, -102.3731

Aircraft

Cessna 150F

Registration

N6242R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Bernstein Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Levelland → Levelland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW06FA136

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall. Contributing factors were low altitude and the gusting wind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A 2,300-hour flight instructor and 22-hour student pilot departed for an instructional flight. The first witness, who is also a certificate flight instructor (CFI), and employed by the same flight school as the accident flight instructor and student, reported that he drove an automobile onto an intersection taxiway hoping to get the accident pilot's attention. The CFI observed that the airplane's takeoff was "abrupt and nose high." The airplane continued its takeoff run before a slight "leveling off," before an additional climb of 50-100 feet and then entering a steep left banked turn. The airplane then descended to about 50 feet while on the downwind leg, before climbing back to 100-200 feet. A second witness reported that he noticed the airplane taxi onto runway 17 while the weather conditions were "windy-gusty, 30 plus" which is why he kept his attention on the airplane. The witness said he saw a car at the "first taxiway exit" and the person in the car began to wave out the window "as if he was flagging the aircraft down." The witness reported hearing the engine accelerate to full power and sounded normal. During takeoff, the witness noted that the airplane was "sharply pulled into flight" before the nose was lowered to build airspeed for a couple seconds. He added that "the airplane began a normal climb to about 300 feet, then banked hard left at a 70 plus degree bank, and after a 180 degree turn, the airplane dove sharply to approximately 30 feet." The witness added the airplane then "sharply climbed" to about 300 feet. The airplane then "sharply turned left again, at a 70-80 degree bank" and appeared to "rock" once, prior to impacting the ground in a nose low attitude. At the time of the accident, a university weather station reported wind from 139 degrees at 28 knots, gusting to 37 knots. Flight control continuity was established at the accident site. A detailed post-crash examination of the wreckage failed to identify any pre-impact abnormalities with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.