History of Flight
On September 12, 2015, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150F, N8185F, collided with trees and terrain near Atco, New Jersey. The student pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1104 from Camden County Airport (19N), Berlin, New Jersey.
The student pilot's flight instructor, also the manager of 19N, spoke briefly with the pilot that morning, but the pilot did not indicate his intentions. Later, the instructor observed the airplane taxi and depart.
Data from an onboard GPS device showed that after departure, the pilot performed a full-stop landing to runway 05, followed by two full-stop landings to runway 23. He then returned to the approach end of runway 23, departed the traffic pattern, and flew about 4 nautical miles northeast of 19N. There, he flew multiple orbits near a residential area at varying altitudes, averaging about 500 ft (about 400 ft above ground level). After the orbits, he proceeded east of the airport. While flying about 400 ft above a residential area, the airplane turned left 360°, with groundspeed slowing during the turn; the last recorded groundspeed was 58 mph.
Two witnesses, one a long-time friend of the pilot, were adjacent to the accident site. They saw the airplane in a left bank flying northeasterly between 100 and 150 ft above 70-ft-tall trees (initially reporting a southeasterly direction). They waved, and the pilot waved back. The bank angle then steepened, followed by the nose pitching down. They heard the engine rev up, hesitate, then respond, but it was "too late." They heard the impact and called 911. They stated the pilot would typically fly over, orbit, and depart the area. No smoke or separated parts were seen in flight. The property owner reported his wife only heard the impact.
Pilot Information
The student pilot was 65 years old. He held third-class medical and student pilot certificates issued in March 2010, April 2012, and July 3, 2014, all with a limitation to wear corrective lenses. On his last application, he listed 115 hours total flight time. His last solo signoff in a Cessna 150 was dated August 1, 2015.
A review of the pilot's logbook showed two entries in 1998, then a March 8, 2010 entry (two days after purchasing the airplane). He flew consistently in 2010, but only three times in 2011 and once in December 2012. The next logged flight was August 1, 2015, a 0.9-hour dual flight in the accident airplane. Total logged flight time was about 69 hours, about 67 in the accident airplane.
Additional flight time was recorded in a black notebook found in the wreckage, with some pages missing. First logged flight was February 25, 2013, ending with tachometer time 6,159.3 hours; last was September 5, 2015, ending at 6,206.0 hours. Between these dates, the pilot accrued 46.7 hours. In the last 90 and 30 days, he logged 5.4 and 2.2 hours, respectively, all in the accident airplane. Estimated total flight time was 130.3 hours, 128.3 in the accident airplane.
A friend who flew with the pilot reported a previous low pass over the same area, with two orbits before returning to 19N. The instructor, a former FAA designated pilot examiner, conducted the last 90-day flight check on August 1, 2015, which involved traffic pattern work. The instructor knew the pilot had a habit of making low passes and had discussed the hazards with him. The instructor's son, an airline pilot, also discussed the low-pass tendency with the pilot. The instructor had not contacted an FAA flight standards district office about the issue and last discussed it about one month before the accident.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1966 Cessna 150F, powered by a 100-horsepower Continental O-200-A engine with a fixed-pitch McCauley 1A100/MCM 6950 propeller. The pilot purchased it on March 6, 2010. The last annual inspection was on August 1, 2015, with tachometer time 6,202.3 hours; accident time was 6,206.4 hours. According to the Owner's Manual, stall speed at gross weight with flaps up and 20° bank is 57 mph CAS; with 40° bank, 63 mph CAS.
Meteorological Information
At 1154, South Jersey Regional Airport, Mount Holly, New Jersey (about 10 nautical miles north) reported wind variable at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 2,600 ft, scattered at 3,800 ft, broken at 11,000 ft, temperature 25°C, dew point 19°C, altimeter 29.79 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was moved from the accident site with FAA approval on the day of the accident to 19N, where it was secured. Recovery involved mechanically cutting the airplane. The crash occurred in a wooded area behind residences at elevation 116 ft, damaging several trees. One tree was damaged at about 44 ft agl with gray paint transfer marks at an 18° angle. A second tree about 21 ft away was damaged at 22 ft agl with black transfer marks. The airplane's resting orientation was magnetic heading 328°.
Extensive structural damage was noted, partly from impact or recovery. The engine remained attached; the propeller remained attached. The cockpit was fragmented; both seats separated from tracks. The pilot's lapbelt was unbuckled; the dual shoulder harness was unbuckled with cut webbings. Impact damage to the pilot's seat; seat pin locking hole sixth from front damaged. An aft seat stop was in place. Fuel selector was "on"; airspeed indicator read 110 knots. GPS mount was attached; left grip fractured. Throttle extended about 1/4 inch; mixture, carb heat, and primer controls full in. Flap selector in middle; ignition switch in right position; key bent right. Oil temperature off-scale low; oil pressure 0; tachometer 0 rpm.
Both wings had full-span chordwise crushing. Left wing fractured about 5 ft inboard from tip; right wing fractured at flap/aileron juncture. Semicircular indentations on leading edges. Left wing fuel vent, drain hole, and tank outlets were unobstructed.
Flight control cables showed continuity except where cut during recovery. Elevator bellcrank right arm bent and fractured; control cable remained attached. Aft rudder bellcrank left arm bent overload; right rudder cable tension overload. Rudder cables aft of baggage compartment were cut. Elevator trim pushrod pulled from lower surface; trim tab actuator extended 2.0 inches (10° tab trailing edge up, maximum 10°).
Flap actuator remained attached; no threads extended (flaps retracted). Flap push/pull rods connected; flap control cables had tension overload.
Fuel supply system: left fuel tube cut at pilot seat; right tube fractured at wing root. Continuity from fuel selector forward to about 7 inches where tube bent and fractured. Fuel strainer inlet fitting fractured; outlet fitting fractured; strainer bowl fractured at bottom. Corrosion and organic material inside; fuel screen clean. No obstructions in flexible line to carburetor. Crossover vent line bent but connected; flexible hose at right tank had slices; left tank attachment cut/torn.
Empennage structurally separated; vertical and horizontal stabilizers, elevators, and rudder remained attached. Impact damage to both horizontal stabilizers; vertical stabilizer bent 90° right. Forward vertical attachment points remained attached; right aft vertical attachment fractured overload; left aft vertical attachment pulled out.
Engine crankshaft continuity; valve train continuity could not be confirmed due to sheared bolts. Hand rotation showed crankshaft rotation and piston movement. No. 1 propeller blade bent aft 10° about 10 inches from hub; outer third exhibited S-bending and curling. No. 2 blade bent aft 45° about 8 inches from hub; leading edge twisted toward low pitch.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
Postmortem examination by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner's Office reported cause of death as "multiple injuries." A 3/8-inch scar was found on the left ventricle posterior wall. Forensic toxicology testing by NMS Labs found no positive findings. FAA toxicology testing was negative for carbon monoxide and volatiles; cyanide not tested. Unquantified amounts of amitriptyline, diphenhydramine, nortriptyline, THC, and THC carboxylic acid were detected in liver. Diphenhydramine was detected in blood below therapeutic range. Blood also contained 0.126 ug/ml amitriptyline, 0.065 ug/ml nortriptyline, and 0.046 ug/ml THC carboxylic acid. No THC in blood.
Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant causing sedation; its usual therapeutic levels are 0.0050–0.2000 ug/ml. Nortriptyline is an active metabolite. Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine with an FDA warning about impairing hazardous tasks; it causes marked sedation. THC carboxylic acid is the major metabolite of marijuana. Both diphenhydramine and THC may have hangover effects when levels are low.