N6256S

On May 28, 1998, approximately 1230 central daylight time, a tailwheel-equipped Cessna 150G airplane, N6256S, registered to and operated by Sam Riggs Flying Service, sustained substantial damage when it impacted trees during a go-around at Sam Riggs Airpark, Claremore, Oklahoma. The flight instructor and the student, who held a South African private pilot certificate, sustained minor injuries. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 local instructional flight.

During a personal interview, conducted by an FAA inspector, the student pilot reported that he and the instructor were practicing touch and go landings on runway 22. The student stated that following a bounced landing, the instructor took control of the airplane and executed a go-around. He further reported that after the airplane climbed above the trees off the end of the runway, the instructor retracted the flaps, and the airplane sank into the trees.

In a written statement, the flight instructor stated that the "student bounced, [and] threw his hands up in the air saying that it is difficult to fly a taildragger." The instructor further stated that he took control and "managed to climb above the pecan trees, but [he] couldn't stay at altitude due to the mechanical turbulence above the trees." The airplane was "loosing height," and he elected "to put the aircraft between branches to cushion the impact."

The pilot reported that the "winds were variable but predominantly from the south." The operator reported that the wind was from the south at 3 mph. At 1253, the reported winds at Tulsa International Airport, located 13 nautical miles west of the accident site, were from 120 degrees at 5 knots.

Examination of the accident site by FAA inspectors revealed that the airplane came to rest about 1/2 mile from the departure end of runway 22 in heavily wooded terrain. The tail section remained attached to the fuselage only by control cables, and both wings sustained structural damage. The flaps were found in the retracted position.