Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
failure of the flight instructor to adequately supervise the dual student pilot and ensure that directional control of the airplane was maintained. The icy runway was a related factor.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On December 23, 1995, at 1135 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150G, N2970J was substantially damaged during an aborted takeoff at the East Hampton Airport, East Hampton, New York. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local instructional flight which originated at East Hampton, and which was operated under 14 CFR Part 91.
In the NTSB Accident Report, the flight instructor stated:
...We began the short field takeoff roll, and as we approached rotation speed of 60 MPH we ran over a large section of icy runway. The airplane began to slid to the left. My student elected to abort the takeoff...We were able to stop the lateral motion...but the aircraft was displaced 10-15 feet from the centerline. We attempted to correct the course with rudder inputs but the aircraft just started to slide again. The left main wheel entered the snow at the left edge of the runway ...the nose pitched forward until the spinner was snowplowing under the surface of the snow. After skidding on the nose for perhaps 20 yards, the spinner tip dug into the ground and the airplane pivoted on the spinner and flipped onto its back....
In a telephone interview, the flight instructor reported that he did not take control of the airplane during the aborted takeoff. He coached the student pilot, but did not touch the flight controls.
In a telephone interview, an FAA Safety Inspector (Operations) from the Farmingdale Flight Standards District Office report that runway was spotty with patched of snow and ice. The accumulations were heavier on the first 1/3 of the runway and covered about 25 percent of the surface. A check of the airplane by an airworthiness inspector found no problems with the wheels, brakes, or flight controls.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC96LA042