Cessna 150F N8642S
10 October 2009 · Alexandria, Louisiana, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 10 October 2009 at about 19:40 local time, a Cessna 150F registered N8642S was involved in an accident near Alexandria, Louisiana, United States. 4 people were on board and 2 died, one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Alexandria, Louisiana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Pineville Municipal (2L0)
- Coordinates
- 31.2799, -92.5510
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F
- Registration
- N8642S
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Alexandria → Alexandria
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN10FA011
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
Failure of the wingman to maintain proper separation from the lead airplane during formation maneuvers. Contributing to the accident was lead's abrupt right bank and both pilots' lack of formation training.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Two airplanes departed as a formation to perform a low pass followed by a full-stop landing at the destination airport. Both pilots had flown formation together, but neither were formally trained. After performing the low pass, the formation began a climb to enter the downwind pattern to land. The wingman was positioned slightly aft and below lead and to the right, spaced approximately 100 feet. The lead radioed his intention to start a right turn. The wingman was not comfortable with his position in relation to lead so he radioed that lead should not turn "too hard" to the right. Following the radio call the lead airplane was observed to enter a 45-degree right-bank turn. The wingman initiated a climb and rolled to the right in an attempt to obtain spacing away from the lead; the airplanes then collided. A photo from a photographer depicted the post-collision sequence. The lead's airplane was damaged to the extent that controlled flight would not have been possible, with a missing vertical fin and a structurally damaged right wing. The wingman's airplane engine stopped following impact of the wingman's propeller with the wing spar of the lead's airplane. Both airplanes impacted a heavily wooded area. An examination of both airplanes and engines did not reveal any preimpact anomalies. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular AC 90-48B, Pilot's Role in Collision Avoidance, cautions general aviation pilots of several key points of flying in formation to include "avoid attempting formation flight without having obtained instruction and attained the skill necessary for conducting such operations." Toxicology findings performed on the lead pilot were consistent with recent use of two different prescription muscle relaxants. The investigation could not determine whether sedation from the use of those medications or distraction from the condition for which he was taking them may have impaired the pilot’s decision-making on the day of the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 150F | N8642S | - | Substantial |
| Cessna 150F | N8072F | - | Substantial |
Other Cessna 150 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Aug 2009 | Cessna 150J | Fairmount, Georgia, United States | Gore Cleveland | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 2009 | Cessna 150G | Kingston, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2009 | Cessna 150K | Waycross, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2009 | Cessna 150 | Nampa, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2009 | Cessna 150H | Lawrenceville, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2009 | Cessna 150 | Urmantany, Russia | - | Fatal | 2 |
All 10,427 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Feb 2009 | Cessna 182M | Albany, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 22 Apr 2009 | Capra Salvatore O AVENTURA 2 | Des Allemands, Louisiana, United States | Tregre Ronnie P | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Aug 2009 | Brown Joseph B Jr RV-6 | Ama, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Dec 2009 | Piper PA-28-180 | Alexandria, Louisiana, United States | Jack Bradley McCullough | No injuries | - |
| 29 Apr 2009 | Cessna A185F | Patterson, Louisiana, United States | NMA Investments LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Dec 2009 | Hoover Frank RV-8 | Houma, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |