Cessna 150 N407WJ

Summary

On 29 February 2020 at about 01:49 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N407WJ was involved in an accident near Port Isabel, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 February 2020 at 01:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Port Isabel, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Port Isabel-Cameron County (PIL)

Coordinates

26.1658, -97.3303

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N407WJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN20FA108

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of control during the initial takeoff climb for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before the accident, the pilot told the co-owner he planned to perform touch and go maneuvers. Data showed that the airplane departed and conducted one left traffic pattern flight. It could not be determined if the pilot performed a touch-and-go, or a go-around. The airplane then entered a left crosswind, and the last radar target indicated the airplane was at 250 ft above ground level and 125 knots ground speed. There were no witnesses to the accident. The airplane impacted terrain in a 10° nose-down attitude, and the wreckage path measured about 120 ft in length. No anomalies were noted with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, it is likely that the pilot lost control during the initial takeoff climb for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence. The pilot’s toxicology tests results revealed he had used marijuana, but none of the available information could be used to determine when that had occurred. As a result, it could not be determined if the pilot’s use of marijuana contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.