Cessna 150G N2932J

Summary

On 4 September 2006 at about 15:32 local time, a Cessna 150G registered N2932J was involved in an accident near Penhook, Virginia, 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

4 September 2006 at 15:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Penhook, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

36.9489, -79.6094

Aircraft

Cessna 150G

Registration

N2932J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Moneta → Florence

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC06FA215

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during climb, which resulted in exceeding the design stress limits of the airplane, and an in-flight breakup. Factors associated with the accident were the pilot's continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his spatial disorientation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after departing on a VFR cross-country flight, the pilot contacted air traffic control and requested flight following services. About 7 minutes later, the pilot asked the controller if he knew what the "ceiling" of the clouds was, and about 4 minutes after that asked the controller for a radar vector. When queried about the request, the pilot responded, "we're kinda lost in some fog here." The controller then asked the pilot to state his present heading, to which the pilot replied, "I can't tell, I think we're upside-down." The controller instructed the pilot to turn right, and several seconds later advised the pilot to stop the turn. During this time the airplane had completed a left turn, and its altitude varied between 4,500 and 4,700 feet. The pilot then stated, "we can't see, we can't see, we can't see." Witnesses reported hearing a loud sound, and then saw the wings of the airplane descend to the ground detached from the fuselage. Examination of both wings revealed signatures consistent with an in-flight separation in the positive, or upward, direction. All of the fracture surfaces examined on both wings, and their respective wing struts, were consistent with overload. No evidence of any pre-separation failures or malfunctions were noted. The pilot did not contact any flight service stations or use DUATS to obtain a weather briefing prior to the accident flight; however, a relative of the pilot stated that the pilot had checked the weather and found that it "looked ok above 2,500 [feet]." The weather conditions reported in the vicinity of the accident site included low clouds and visibility in light to heavy rain. AIRMETs for IFR conditions and mountain obscuration were issued before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.