Cessna 150 N7968Z

Summary

On 9 August 2014 at about 09:55 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N7968Z was involved in an accident near Senoia, Georgia, 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

9 August 2014 at 09:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Senoia, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Atlanta Rgnl Falcon Field (FFC)

Coordinates

33.3172, -84.5289

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N7968Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Peachtree City → Shellman Bluff

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA14FA377

2 people died.

The noninstrument-rated pilot’s inadequate preflight weather planning and his improper decision to attempt a visual flight rules flight in night instrument metrological conditions, which resulted in subsequent collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noninstrument-rated private pilot departed for a cross-country flight in night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). No record was found indicating that the pilot obtained an official weather briefing before the flight. GPS data indicated that, about 5 minutes after takeoff, the airplane turned back toward the departure airport. About 2 minutes later, as the airplane was flying at an altitude just above the height of the surrounding terrain (about 823 ft), it made a slight descending left turn. The airplane continued to descend, impacted a berm on the side of a gravel road and then trees, and came to rest nose down. Postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. A weather observation taken at the departure airport about the time of the accident included visibility of 6 statute miles with mist and an overcast ceiling at 600 ft above ground level (agl). A witness reported that visibility was restricted due to patchy areas of fog or mist and that the ceiling was about 300 to 400 ft agl. He added that "the sky was very dark" with little ambient light. Based on the GPS data, it is likely that the pilot was attempting to return to the airport and subsequently chose to attempt an off-airport landing due to the poor weather conditions. Toxicological testing detected ibuprofen, lidocaine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and salicylate in the pilot's urine. However, none of these medications were present in the pilot's blood at the time of the accident; therefore, impairment by the medications did not contribute to the accident. In addition, the testing revealed that the pilot had diabetes, which had not been previously diagnosed; however, it is unlikely that the pilot's diabetes contributed to the accident. Review of the pilot's medical records revealed that he had received a spinal injection to treat ongoing low back pain radiating to his arms and legs the day before the accident. Although painful symptoms and these injections can cause complications, they do not affect decision-making. In this case, the noninstrument-rated pilot improperly decided to fly in IMC, which led to the accident. Therefore, neither the back pain nor the injection contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.