Cessna 150L N18601

Summary

On 31 August 2016 at about 01:35 local time, a Cessna 150L registered N18601 was involved in an accident near Upham, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 August 2016 at 01:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Upham, North Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Rosenau (21ND)

Coordinates

48.5822, -100.8497

Aircraft

Cessna 150L

Registration

N18601

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Upham → Upham

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN16LA350

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to obtain a proper aimpoint during landing due to reduced visibility from the setting sun.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had completed a local flight and was landing at his unlighted grass airstrip toward the west shortly after sunset. While landing, the airplane impacted a riverbank short of the runway, about 6 ft below the elevation of the runway, which caused the airplane to nose over and come to rest inverted. The pilot was seriously injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot did not recall the accident but reported that there were no malfunctions with the airplane that would have contributed to the accident. It is likely that the pilot did not obtain a proper aimpoint during the approach due to reduced visibility from the setting sun, which resulted in a landing short of the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.