N50439Cessna 150H · 1968

On August 7, 2022, about 0935 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150H, N50439, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Ellenville, New York. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries, and a pilot-rated passenger was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the commercial pilot, who was also a flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to fly the airplane from Joseph Y. Resnick Airport (N89), Ellenville, New York, to Shelbyville Municipal Airport (GEZ), Shelbyville, Indiana, following the purchase of the airplane by the pilot-rated passenger. The commercial pilot was in the right seat and the pilot-rated passenger was in the left seat. The pilot-rated passenger had a private pilot certificate; however, he did not possess a Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate.

The pilot-rated passenger performed the takeoff with 10° of flaps for “extra lift to get us away from the ground.” The airplane lifted off with about 1,000 ft of the 3,839 ft-long runway remaining and climbed “fine” until it reached about 100 ft above ground level. At that point, the airplane would no longer continue to climb. With mountains approaching, the commercial pilot took control of the airplane and looked for a place to land. The stall warning horn sounded, and the nose was lowered to maintain flying airspeed. As the airplane approached two sets of power lines, he pitched up to clear the first set of wires, and once clear, he cut power to the engine and raised the flaps. The airplane dropped about 30 ft and crashed onto the roadway. The airplane came to a stop and the pilots exited the airplane.

The wreckage came to rest on a wooded embankment at the side of a roadway. The airplane sustained structural damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage.

The wreckage was recovered to a salvage facility where an examination of the airframe and engine was performed.

The engine remained attached to the airframe. The wings were removed during recovery of the wreckage. The fuselage was secured to a forklift to attempt an engine run. Due to impact damage, the induction air, carburetor heat boxes, and left-side exhaust pipe were removed. An external fuel tank was plumbed into the left-wing root fuel line and a battery charger was connected to the airplane’s battery. The grounding leads from the magnetos were removed and the engine was started. It ran smoothly, without hesitation, from idle to about 2,300 rpm. Bending damage to the propeller blade tips prevented operating the engine at a higher rpm. The engine was then shut down. While still warm, the propeller was rotated by hand; compression and suction were attained on all four cylinders.

During the examination, fuel flowed normally through the fuel system. The cockpit fuel selector handle shut off fuel to the engine when commanded.

Flight planning information was provided by the pilots during the investigation. They reported that the airplane’s weight at takeoff was 1,595 lbs and the maximum allowable takeoff weight was 1,600 lbs. They computed the pressure altitude to be 1,934 ft. Textron reported that the takeoff roll under the reported conditions would be about 490 ft and the expected climb rate would be about 640 ft per minute; however, no climb performance data is available for the 10° flap setting.

The Cessna 150H Owner’s Manual addresses takeoffs with 10° flaps. The manual states that, “Normal and obstacle clearance takeoffs are performed with flaps up. The use of 10° will shorten the ground run approximately 10%, but this advantage is lost in the climb to a 50-foot obstacle. Therefore the use of 10° flap is reserved for minimum ground runs or for take-off from soft or rough fields with no obstacles ahead.”