Accident Details
On October 18, 2017, at 1045 central daylight time, a Cessna 150J airplane, registration N50609, nosed over during a forced landing in Willmar, Minnesota. The flight instructor received minor injuries, and the private pilot was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Visual flight rules conditions existed near the accident site at the time, and no flight plan was filed.
Flight Information
The airplane was registered to an individual and operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The purpose was a flight review for the private pilot. The flight departed from Willmar Municipal Airport (BDH). The flight instructor reported that during the engine runup at 1,500 rpm, the magnetos and carburetor heat functioned normally. The takeoff was initiated on runway 21, a turf runway 2,980 feet long that was damp and soft from recent rain. The private pilot, who initiated the takeoff, stated the airplane seemed slow to accelerate. The flight instructor reported feeling the nose "dive" a couple times and instructed the private pilot to increase back pressure to get the airplane in ground effect due to the soft runway. The flight instructor then took control and lifted the airplane off. It became airborne about 2,000 feet down the 3,000-foot runway. The flight instructor lowered the nose in ground effect to gain airspeed, but the airplane did not accelerate and was nearing an aerodynamic stall.
Forced Landing
The flight instructor identified a road and a field on which to land. He turned the airplane but had to level off to avoid a stall. During the forced landing in a plowed field, he flared too high, causing the main landing gear to contact the terrain hard. The nose gear dug into the soft terrain, collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The flight instructor did not notice the tachometer reading, but the private pilot reported that the rpm never exceeded 1,900.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination and test run of the engine were conducted. The engine started without hesitation on the first attempt and ran smoothly at various power settings. At full throttle, it produced 2,764 rpm.