On March 5, 2007, a Cessna 150M (registration N66513) was involved in an aviation accident near Bedford, IN. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Suicide. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An airplane piloted by a student pilot struck a house after a sudden left turn and steep dive during final approach. The passenger was the pilot's minor daughter, and the house belonged to his ex-mother-in-law. No pre-impact mechanical malfunction was found. The Indiana State Police handled it as a murder/suicide investigation.
Incident Description
Eyewitnesses reported that the airplane was on a high final approach to runway 6 when it executed a sudden 90-degree left turn to the north. After momentarily leveling its wings, the aircraft entered a 45-degree dive toward the ground. The witnesses found the maneuvering unusual because the wind was from the west. The airplane then contacted a tree line before colliding with an asphalt driveway and a house. The calculated descent angle was 28 degrees.
Background and Investigation
The pilot was a student pilot, and the passenger was his minor daughter. The house that the airplane impacted belonged to the pilot's ex-mother-in-law. According to the Indiana State Police, the student pilot and his ex-wife had an ongoing custody dispute concerning their daughter. The event was investigated as a murder/suicide homicide. Federal regulations (14 CFR Part 61.89(a)) prohibit a student pilot from acting as pilot-in-command of an aircraft carrying passengers. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a pre-impact mechanical malfunction.