Cessna 150C N2068Z

Summary

On 3 September 2010 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 150C registered N2068Z, operated by Thompson Jeffrey A, was involved in an accident near Fields, Oregon, 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

3 September 2010 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fields, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

42.0725, -118.5964

Aircraft

Cessna 150C

Registration

N2068Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Thompson Jeffrey A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Denio → Fields

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10CA453

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's misjudged landing flare, resulting in a bounced landing and loss of directional control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inaccurate perception of the airplane’s proximity to the ground as a result of the featureless white landing area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was performing an off-airport landing on a dry lake bed in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. During landing he flared too high and the airplane touched down hard. The airplane bounced two times and, as it began to slow, it veered to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in structural damage to the right wing. The pilot stated that he felt that his perception of his vertical position was affected by the featureless, white landing surface. Postaccident examination of the airplane by the pilot revealed that the tailwheel was separated due to a broken spring and remained attached to the fuselage by the tailwheel steering links. The pilot further stated that he felt that the damage to the tailwheel spring was a result of the hard landing and subsequent bounces. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane or flight control systems prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.