Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and collision with the ground. Factors were transmission wires and the pilot's inadequate inflight decision.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot stated that during final approach, he realized that he had mistaken a drag strip for a runway. He said he initiated a go-around but there were wires at different heights across the drag strip and he had to maneuver above and below them. While maneuvering under and over the wires, the airplane stalled and collided with a guardrail and nosed over. The pilot stated that there were no airframe or engine anomalies prior to the accident.
Source record
Factual narrative
On Sunday, April 17, 1994, about 1415 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150H, N22601, owned and operated by the pilot, collided with a guardrail during a aborted approach to a drag strip mistaken for a runway, near Mount Vernon, Ohio. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot stated that he was on a visual flight rules flight and was destined for the Knox County Airport in Mount Vernon, Ohio. He stated that he thought he spotted the airport and started his approach to land. The pilot stated that once he got close to the strip, he realized that it was a drag strip and not the airport's runway, and attempted to go-around. He stated that there were wires across the drag strip and he tried to maneuver the airplane below and above the wires. He stated, "...I tried to get back up, but ducking the electrical wires caused me to stall and hit [the] guardrail...." The pilot stated that there were no airframe or engine anomalies prior to the accident. Examination of the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane collided with a guardrail which ran along the side of the drag strip in a north-south direction. Scrape marks on the guardrail extended about 50 feet, running north to the south, and stopped at the inverted airplane. The inspector stated that there were about ten wires at different heights across the approached end of the drag strip. The Knox County Airport has one runway, runway 10-28. -