Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain flying speed during climbout. A factor was the wind gust.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
According to pilot-rated witnesses, after the airplane departed from the southwest runway, the left wing dropped about 60 degrees and the airplane stopped flying. They reported a 25 mph wind gust out of the west at the time. One witness also reported that the engine was running perfectly at the time of the departure.
Source record
Factual narrative
On July 4, 1995, at 1055 central daylight time, a Cessna 150, N6051G, collided with the ground after the pilot encountered a wind gust during climbout from a private airstrip in Fairview, Tennessee. The personal flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the pilot and passengers received serious injuries. The accident occurred during the initial takeoff from the sod airstrip. According to witnesses at the private airstrip, N6051G departed on the southwest runway. The witnesses stated that the left wing dropped about 60 degrees, and the airplane stopped flying. The witnesses, both certificated pilots, reported a 25 mph wind gust out of the west at the time of the accident. Examination of the aircraft failed to disclose a mechanical problem. The pilot did not recall the circumstances of the aircraft operation, but one witness reported that the engine was running perfectly at the time of the departure. -