On 20 May 2011, a CESSNA 150M was involved in an aviation accident near Greenville, KY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot lost control of the aircraft during takeoff while attempting to reach for a seatbelt that had become stuck in the passenger door. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A pilot lost control of a Cessna 150M during takeoff while attempting to retrieve a seatbelt caught in the aircraft door.
What happened
On May 20, 2011, a Cessna 150M, registration N68844, was performing a takeoff in Greenville, Kentucky. After the aircraft became airborne, the pilot noticed that the passenger seatbelt was wedged in the right-side door and was dangling outside the cabin. As the pilot reached to open the door to pull the seatbelt back inside, the aircraft impacted the runway. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the tail section of the airplane. There were no injuries reported in the accident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's actions during the takeoff phase. It was determined that the pilot attempted to manipulate the door to secure the seatbelt while the aircraft was in flight, leading to the loss of control.
Probable cause
The pilot lost control of the aircraft during takeoff while attempting to reach for a seatbelt that had become stuck in the passenger door.
Contributing factors
PilotPerformance/control parameters — Not attained/maintained