History of Flight
On June 16, 2009, at approximately 2015 central daylight time, a Cessna 150L, registration N66016, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Phillips Flying Ranch Airport (KT48) in Rockwall, Texas. The flight was a positioning flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, conducted without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight originated from KT48 and was en route to Terrell Municipal Airport (KTRL) in Terrell, Texas.
According to friends and family, the pilot had scheduled a night flight lesson at 2100 with a student at KTRL. The pilot contacted a family member around 2000 and stated he was preparing to depart for the lesson. He did not arrive at KTRL, and family members became aware of his absence the next morning, prompting a search. The wreckage was located, inverted, approximately 100 yards southeast of the departure end of runway 13, and was later recovered for examination.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 65, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and sea, multiengine land, and instrument ratings, last issued on June 16, 2007. He also held a certified flight instructor certificate with airplane single, multiengine, and instrument ratings, as well as a ground instructor certificate with advanced and instrument ratings, and a mechanic certificate with airframe and powerplant ratings. He was issued a second-class airman medical certificate on May 6, 2009, with no limitations.
At the time of his medical application, the pilot reported logging no less than 13,500 total flight hours, with 600 hours in the preceding six months. A review of his logbook indicated at least 13,700 total hours, with 163 hours in the accident make and model. He completed a flight review on March 4, 2009.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane, a Cessna 150L (serial number 15075777), was manufactured in 1974 and registered with a standard airworthiness certificate for utility operations. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors O-200-A engine rated at 100 horsepower at 2,750 rpm, equipped with a two-blade Sensenich propeller. The airplane was registered to Robert Cly, operated by the accident pilot, and maintained under an annual inspection program. The last annual inspection was completed on October 20, 2008, at an airframe total time of 6,322.2 hours. The airplane had flown 55.9 hours since that inspection, with a total airframe time of 6,378.1 hours at the time of the accident.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather observation station was Terrell Municipal Airport (KTRL), located 10 nautical miles south of the accident site at an elevation of 474 feet mean sea level. A routine aviation weather report (METAR) issued at 1953 reported winds from 140 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear sky, temperature 32 degrees Celsius, dew point 22 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.84 inches of mercury. A review of the carburetor icing chart indicated that the temperature and dew point spread placed the probability of carburetor icing on the line between “icing at glide and cruise power” and “serious icing at glide and cruise power.”
Airport Information
Phillips Flying Ranch Airport was a public, uncontrolled airport located 15 miles southeast of Rockwall, Texas, and 10 miles north of Terrell, Texas, at coordinates 32°52′05″N 096°13′08″W, with a surveyed elevation of 500 feet. The airport had one turf runway, designated 13/31, measuring 3,344 feet by 50 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest inverted in a field southeast of the departure runway. Examination on June 17, 2009, by an investigator from Cessna Aircraft Company and two FAA inspectors revealed the main wreckage consisted of the engine and propeller assembly, fuselage, empennage, and both wings. The engine was crushed aft into the firewall and partially separated from the main wreckage. Both wings were bent and wrinkled, and the fuselage was bent down aft of the cabin area. The vertical stabilizer was crushed, while the horizontal stabilizer appeared unremarkable. All control cables were continuous and correctly routed.
The aircraft was modified by a Supplemental Type Certificate to permit the use of automotive fuel, but the fuel tanks were not properly placarded. A small amount of yellow fuel was found in the right wing fuel tank, while no fuel was observed in the left tank. The fuel tank vent tube was blocked with mud consistent with an insect mud nest. The engine throttle and mixture controls were in the full forward position, and the wing flaps were retracted. No anomalies were noted with the seat belt or shoulder harness. There was no significant penetration into the cabin space; the fuselage and cabin area maintained their original form. The engine ignition switch was found in the “right” position.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office on June 18, 2009, concluded that the pilot died as a result of blunt force injuries of the head and neck, with findings including abrasions and lacerations of the face and scalp, subgaleal hemorrhage in the frontal region, and extensive hemorrhage of the posterior neck with hyperextension injury of the C4 vertebra.
Toxicological testing by the FAA’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute detected dihydrocodeine (0.027 µg/mL), hydrocodone (0.046 µg/mL), hydromorphone (0.093 µg/mL), salicylate (81.04 µg/mL), and irbesartan in urine; irbesartan was also detected in the liver. No ethanol was detected in the vitreous. No blood was received by the FAA laboratory, and tests for carbon monoxide and cyanide were not performed. The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s toxicology testing of blood was negative for hydrocodone or dihydrocodeine at or above 0.02 mg/L.
Review of the pilot’s personal medical records documented a history of right knee and leg surgery, right shoulder surgery in July 2003 with intermittent pain treated with a combination medication containing hydrocodone and acetaminophen, and high blood pressure and high cholesterol since October 2006, treated with irbesartan/hydrochlorothiazide and rosuvastatin. His FAA medical records did not note these conditions or medications, and his most recent application for an airman medical certificate on May 6, 2009, omitted any mention of prior surgeries, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
Survival Factors
The occupiable space within the cabin area was not compromised. The aircraft was equipped with a lap belt and shoulder harness. The lap belt was found unfastened to aid in pilot recovery, while the shoulder harness was available but not in use at the time of the accident. According to friends, the pilot suffered from a shoulder injury that made using the shoulder harness painful.
Tests and Research
Engine examination on June 29, 2009, by investigators from the Safety Board, Cessna, Teledyne Continental Motors, and an FAA inspector revealed that the propeller blades exhibited damage: Blade A was twisted with polishing and scratching at the tip, and Blade B was bent aft 90 degrees with leading edge polishing. The mixture cable was not free to rotate within its attach joint. The number two exhaust valve was off its seat. The engine was rotated by hand at the propeller flange, and valve movement was noted on all four cylinders; air movement was detected at all spark plug orifices. Magneto engagement was audible during rotation. Dirt was found under the exhaust valves, and the exhaust system flame tubes on both sides were broken and eroded.
Both magnetos were removed and tested on a magneto test stand; they supplied a consistent spark at varying rpm settings. Carburetor examination revealed that the accelerator pump expansion spring was rusted and separated into two pieces, with rust chips found in the bottom of the carburetor bowl.