NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On March 17, 2004, about 1126 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150C airplane, N2080Z, was destroyed by impact with terrain and a postcrash fire, following a loss of engine power and subsequent loss of control during the initial takeoff climb, about one-eighth of a mile northwest of the Bob Lee Flight Strip, DeLand, Florida. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) local personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The non-certificated pilot and sole passenger were fatally injured. The flight departed the Bob Lee Airstrip about 1125, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.

During an onsite interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on March 17, about 1800, a Sheriff's Office investigator said witnesses reported that the airplane took off normally. They said during the initial climb the engine started running rough, and the airplane started a right turn toward the airport. The witnesses said the engine quit completely, the airplane banked sharply to the left, and descended straight down, impacting the ground.

On March 18, during an interview with the IIC, the owner of the airplane said the pilot was a friend who flew the airplane several days a week. He said the pilot fueled the airplane with auto gas prior to the accident flight. He also stated that there had been a heavy rainfall the day before. He said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident flight.

INJURY TO PERSONS

The two occupants of the airplane received fatal injuries.

DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT

The airplane was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot of the airplane did not hold any pilot certificates. The owner of the airplane said the pilot was a friend who borrowed the airplane frequently in exchange for helping the owner. The owner said he assumed the pilot was certificated. There were no records of flight proficiency, flight time, or a pilot medical certificate.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was a model year 1963 Cessna 150C, single-engine, fixed-gear airplane. Airframe logbook entries indicate that an annual inspection was performed on the airplane on April 1, 2004, and that at the time of the inspection the airplane had accumulated 6,254 airframe service hours. Engine logbook entries indicate the engine was overhauled while on another airplane. The engine was installed on the accident airplane on August 18, 1990, and had accumulated 1,134.7 hours of operation since overhaul.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The nearest official weather reporting station was Daytona Beach, Florida, about 20 miles northeast of the accident location. The Daytona Beach METAR at 1053 eastern daylight time reported, in part; wind 340 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, and few clouds at 7,500' msl. Witnesses at the Bob Lee Flight Strip reported clear skies, 10 miles visibility and light winds.

Witnesses reported heavy rains at the airport two nights before the accident.

COMMUNICATIONS

There were no radio communications with the accident airplane.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

On March 17 and 18, the wreckage and accident site were examined by the IIC, in conjunction with the FAA, and the airplane and engine manufacturers.

The accident site is about one-eighth mile northwest of the Bob Lee Flight Strip on a fifty acre fern farm. The fern farm is level cultivated ground with 8 inch high furrows about 18 inches apart. The fifty acres are covered by a black nylon-mesh, semi-transparent shade netting. The netting is suspended about 8 feet above the ground on 3/8 inch steel cables supported by poles in a grid spaced about 25 feet apart. The netting provides shade for the fern crop. The fern farm sits amid heavily populated residential and business communities, and is bounded on the perimeter by trees and levees. The elevation of the Bob Lee Flight Strip is 94 feet msl. The owner of the fern farm stated that two other airplanes had made emergency landings in the netting in the past 5 years, with injuries to the airplane's occupants, but no fatalities.

All the major components of the airplane were located at the impact site. Control continuity to all the flight controls was established. The engine was buried in an impact crater about 12 inches deep, and 36 inches in diameter. The cabin area from the firewall to the aft cabin window was burned away in the postcrash fire. Part of the cabin floor, including the main landing gear box-beam area, remained. The airplane impacted the ground in an approximate 60 degree pitch down attitude, and 30 degrees right wing low. The left wing was supported mid-span, about 7 feet above the ground by a shade netting support cable. The left main landing gear was also suspended, about 5 feet above the ground, by a shade support cable. The complete empennage, and about 5 feet of the tail section, had burned free from the rest of the fuselage, and was suspended above the ground from the shade support cables. The empennage was not damaged. The right wingtip impacted the ground, and exhibited aft crushing about 30 degrees across the chord, involving the outboard 1/3 of the wing. About 15 per cent of each wing was burned away at the wing root, with the most extensive damage aft, toward the flaps.

The exterior of the engine was burned extensively. The propeller blades were marked 'A' and 'B' by investigators. Blade 'A' exhibited little damage except a single cable gouge in the leading edge, about 4 inches from the tip. Blade 'B' had a 10 degree aft bend, about 8 inches from the hub, and a trailing edge cable gouge with chord-wise wire scratches, about 16 inches from the tip. Neither blade exhibited torsional twisting, bending, or substantial rotational scoring.

The gascolator was removed and disassembled. The gascolator had external heat damage, but remained sealed and intact. Upon opening the gascolator, about 1/2 ounce of water was found inside the glass bowl. A fire department representative said they did not put water on the engine because the fire had burned out by the time they arrived.

The engine was recovered and taken to a maintenance facility where it was examined by the IIC, representatives from the airplane and engine manufacturers, and the FAA. No preaccident mechanical anomalies were found.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The pilot was recovered from the burned cockpit area. A postmortem examination of the pilot was conducted under the authority of the Florida State Medical Examiner, Districts 7 and 24, Volusia & Seminole Counties, 1360 Indian Lake Road, Daytona Beach, Florida, on March 18, 2004. The examination revealed the cause of death of the pilot was blunt force injuries of the head. The pilot also exhibited control injuries to the right wrist, and left forearm. Toxicological samples were sent to the FAA laboratory, P.O. Box 25082 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were detected in the urine, and pseudoephedrine was detected in the liver.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Prior to the accident flight the pilot fueled the airplane with auto gas from red plastic gas cans. The airplane had not been issued a supplemental type certificate for auto gas. According to the registered owner, they had been using auto gas in the airplane for several years. The gas cans were examined postaccident by the IIC and an FAA representative, but they were empty.

The airplane was kept in a three-sided hangar without a door. The floor of the hangar is sandy earth, covered with carpet remnants. According to witnesses there was a hard rain two nights before the accident.. The carpet remnants and the sand underneath were dry.

The airplane logbooks show inconsistent tachometer times, and the last three annuals were consecutively signed off on the last page by the owner, who is a certified aviation mechanic (A&P) with inspector authorization (IA).

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to detect water in the fuel system during the preflight inspection, which precipitated a loss of engine power during initial climb, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulting in a stall.