Aviation Accident Summaries

Aviation Accident Summary CHI96LA147

BLAINE, MN, USA

Aircraft #1

N6059J

Cessna A150L

Analysis

The pilot reported that while circling a house, 'the plane without warning, violently, went into a spin.' He said he 'applied full right rudder, stopped the spin, broke the stall, and pulled out as much as the plane would give.' The airplane 'hit flat into several trees before hitting the ground.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the airplane.

Factual Information

On May 1, 1996, at 1911 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna, A150L, N6059J, operated by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when while maneuvering, it departed controlled flight. It subsequently impacted the terrain in a wooded area. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. The local flight originated at Anoka, Minnesota at 1830 cdt. In his written statement, the pilot said that while en route to a practice area, the passenger asked him to fly over his girlfriend's house. The pilot flew the airplane over the house "at pattern altitude and turned to the west in a climb to about 1,300 feet (above ground level)." The passenger asked if they could fly over the house again. The pilot agreed, "and initiated a turn to the south. The plane without warning, violently, went into a spin." The pilot "applied full right rudder, stopped the spin, broke the stall, and pulled out as much as the plane would give." The airplane "hit flat into several trees before hitting the ground." The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the wreckage at the scene, found the airplane in a wooded area, approximately 300 feet behind a house. The right wing had a large dent in the leading edge at mid-span, and there was skin wrinkling along the upper and lower surfaces. The left wing was bent all along the leading edge and the wing tip had broken off. There was skin wrinkling along the upper and lower surfaces. The left wing flap showed slight extension. The engine cowling, firewall and forward fuselage were bent up and aft. The instrument panel and glare shield were broken into several pieces. The aft fuselage and empennage were bent to the left. The engine and propeller remained attached to the engine mounts. One propeller blade showed torsional bending. The other blade was slightly bent. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The engine was retained for further testing. The engine was examined at Bolduc Aviation, Incorporated, St. Cloud, Minnesota, on June 12, 1996. The engine was run on a test stand and put through a set of test parameters. The FAA inspector who oversaw the testing reported that no anomalies were found.

Probable Cause and Findings

failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed while circling at low altitude, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.

 

Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database

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