Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 150F near Sully, IA — 2011-05-31

Final reportCEN11LA366
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Date
2011-05-31
Location
Sully, IA, USA
Airport
8C2
Aircraft
CESSNA 150F
Registration
N7818F
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to attain an adequate climb rate during the initial takeoff, resulting in the airplane settling back down and departing the runway. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot and his passenger were taking off on a 2,130-foot turf runway. During the takeoff, the airplane lifted off, remained in ground effect, veered to the left, and then settled back onto the runway where it subsequently impacted a sign and a tree. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that two of the No. 4 cylinder's three piston compression rings had fractured but remained intact. Since two rings were intact and the third ring was not fractured, compression in the cylinder should not have been substantially reduced. Postaccident computations of ground roll distance showed that the acceleration achieved during the accident takeoff roll was almost equal to that of the airplane's expected performance on hard-surface runways, indicating that there was not a substantial decrease in available propulsive thrust at the time of takeoff. Federal Aviation Administration guidance recommends that pilots ensure that runway length is equal to the aircraft manufacturer's published takeoff or landing distance plus an 80 percent safety margin for takeoffs on a hard surface and double the manual distance for takeoffs on sod.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have aborted takeoff due to insufficient runway length and performance concerns.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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