N8185F

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 12, 2015, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a privately owned and operated Cessna 150F, N8185F, collided with trees and terrain near Atco, New Jersey. The student pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was being operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed about the time of the accident near the accident site, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1104 from Camden County Airport (19N), Berlin, New Jersey.

According to the student pilot's flight instructor, who was also the manager of 19N, he talked briefly to the student on the morning of the accident, but the student did not indicate his intentions for the flight. Sometime later, he observed the airplane being taxied and then departing.

According to data downloaded from an onboard GPS device, after departure, the student performed a full-stop landing to runway 05, followed by two full-stop landings to runway 23. He then returned to the approach end of runway 23, departed the traffic pattern, and flew about 4 nautical miles northeast of 19N, where he flew multiple orbits near a residential area at varying altitudes, averaging about 500 ft (about 400 ft above ground level [agl]). After he flew the orbits, he proceeded east of the airport, at which point, while flying about 400 ft above a residential area, the airplane turned left 360° with the groundspeed slowing during the turn; the last recorded groundspeed value was 58 mph.

Two witnesses (one of whom was a long-time friend of the pilot), who were located immediately adjacent to the accident site, noticed the airplane when it was in a left bank flying in a northeasterly direction between 100 and 150 ft above the tops of 70-ft-tall trees (they initially reported the airplane was flying in a southeasterly direction). They waved to the pilot, and he waved back. They reported that the airplane's bank angle then became steeper, followed by the airplane's nose pitching down. They then heard the engine rev-up, hesitate, then respond, but they reported that it was "too late." They heard the impact and called 911, and then ran to the site. They stated that first responders arrived quickly. Regarding the low pass, they indicated that the pilot would typically fly over, orbit, and then depart the area. None of the witnesses saw any smoke trailing the airplane nor did they see any parts separate while in flight.

The property owner where the airplane crashed reported the only sound his wife heard was associated with the impact. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe student pilot, age 65, was issued third-class medical and student pilot certificates in March 2010, April 2012, and July 3, 2014; all three certificates contained a limitation to wear corrective lenses. On the application for his last certificate, he listed a total flight time of 115 hours. His last solo signoff in a Cessna 150 airplane was dated August 1, 2015.

A review of the pilot's logbook revealed two entries in 1998. The next entry was dated March 8, 2010, which was 2 days after he purchased the airplane. The pilot flew consistently in 2010, but he only flew three times in 2011 and once in December 2012. The next logged flight was on August 1, 2015, which was a 0.9-hour-long dual flight in the accident airplane, and it was the only logged flight for 2015. The pilot logged a total flight time of about 69 hours, about 67 hours of which were in the accident airplane.

Additional flight time was logged in a black notebook located in the wreckage, but some pages of the notebook were missing. The first logged flight was February 25, 2013, and ended with a tachometer time of 6,159.3 hours, and the last logged flight was September 5, 2015, and ended with a tachometer time of 6,206.0 hours. Between these dates, the pilot accrued 46.7 hours. In the last 90 and 30 days, he logged 5.4 and 2.2 hours, respectively, all of which were in the accident airplane. Based on the time provided on his medical application (115 hours) and the student pilot's subsequent logged time (15.3 hours), the student pilot's estimated total flight time was 130.3 hours, 128.3 hours of which were in the accident airplane.

The student pilot's friend reported flying with the pilot in the accident airplane. The friend reported that, during one flight, the pilot performed a low pass over the same area where the accident occurred, although he could not recall the altitude. He reported that the pilot orbited twice and then returned to 19N.

According to the student pilot's instructor, who was formerly a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated pilot examiner (DPE), he conducted the pilot's last 90-day flight check on August 1, 2015. During that flight, the pilot only performed traffic pattern work. He also indicated that he knew that the pilot had a habit of "making low passes" and, being a former DPE, he had numerous talks with the pilot about the hazards of performing low passes. He indicated that his son, who is a pilot for a major US airline, also had a discussion with the pilot about his tendency to perform low passes and maneuver at low altitudes. The instructor indicated that he had not contacted an FAA flight standards district office about the low-pass issue and that he had last discussed the issue with pilot about 1 month before the accident. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airplane was manufactured in 1966 by Cessna Aircraft Company. It was powered by a 100-horsepower Continental O-200-A engine and was equipped with a fixed-pitch McCauley 1A100/MCM 6950 propeller. According to FAA records, the pilot purchased the airplane on March 6, 2010.

A review of the maintenance records revealed that the airplane's last annual inspection was performed on August 1, 2015. The recording tachometer time at that time was 6,202.3 hours, and the recording tachometer time at the time of the accident was 6,206.4 hours.

According to the stalling speed chart in the Owner's Manual, the airplane's stall speed at gross weight with flaps up and 20° of bank is 57 mph calibrated airspeed (CAS) and with the same weight and flap position but with 40° of bank, the stall speed is 63 mph CAS. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONAt 1154, South Jersey Regional Airport, Mount Holly, New Jersey, which was located about 10 nautical miles north of the accident site, reported wind variable at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 2,600 ft, scattered clouds at 3,800 ft, broken clouds at 11,000 ft, temperature 25°, dew point 19° C, and altimeter setting 29.79 inches of mercury. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe airplane was manufactured in 1966 by Cessna Aircraft Company. It was powered by a 100-horsepower Continental O-200-A engine and was equipped with a fixed-pitch McCauley 1A100/MCM 6950 propeller. According to FAA records, the pilot purchased the airplane on March 6, 2010.

A review of the maintenance records revealed that the airplane's last annual inspection was performed on August 1, 2015. The recording tachometer time at that time was 6,202.3 hours, and the recording tachometer time at the time of the accident was 6,206.4 hours.

According to the stalling speed chart in the Owner's Manual, the airplane's stall speed at gross weight with flaps up and 20° of bank is 57 mph calibrated airspeed (CAS) and with the same weight and flap position but with 40° of bank, the stall speed is 63 mph CAS. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe wreckage was moved from the accident site with FAA approval but without NTSB consultation on the day of the accident and taken to 19N where it was secured. The recovery involved mechanically cutting the airplane to allow it to be loaded into a trailer.

The airplane crashed in a wooded area behind and near residences at an elevation of 116 ft and damaged several trees. Damage to a tree was noted about 44 ft agl. Closer examination of the tree trunk, which was 9 inches in diameter, revealed gray colored paint transfer marks on the smooth cut surface oriented on about an 18° angle from vertical. A second tree, located about 21 ft from the base of the first tree, exhibited damage about 22 ft agl. Further examination of the tree revealed scars along its trunk to ground level and black-colored transfer marks on the smooth cut surface. The airplane's resting position was oriented on a magnetic heading of 328°.

Following removal of the wreckage from the recovery trailer, extensive structural damage either by impact or during the recovery process was noted. The engine remained attached to the engine, and the propeller remained attached to the engine.

Examination of the fragmented cockpit revealed that both seats were separated from the seat tracks, but both seats were recovered. The pilot's lapbelt was found unbuckled, and both ends remained attached to the structure, but the webbings of the dual shoulder harness, which was unbuckled, were cut. Impact damage was noted to the pilot's seat, and damage was noted to the seat pin locking hole that was sixth from the front. An aft seat stop was in place on the outboard seat track. The fuel selector was positioned to "on," and the airspeed indicator was indicating 110 knots. Examination of the pilot's control yoke revealed that the GPS mount was attached, and the left grip was fractured. The throttle was extended about 1/4 inch, and the mixture, carburetor heat, and primer controls were full in. The flap selector was in the middle position, and the ignition switch was in the right position; the key was bent right. The oil temperature was off-scale low, the oil pressure was 0, and tachometer indicated 0 rpm.

Examination of both wings revealed extensive full-span chordwise crushing to the leading edges. Both flaps and ailerons remained attached. The left wing was fractured about 5 ft inboard from the tip, and the right wing was also fractured at the juncture of the flap/aileron. Semicircular indentations were noted on the leadi...