Accident Overview
On August 7, 2023, at approximately 1535 central daylight time, a Cessna 150, registration N5610E, was destroyed when it crashed near Caddo Mills Municipal Airport (7F3) in Caddo Mills, Texas. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
The operator of the airplane reported that the pilot had recently completed two flights in the accident airplane with a flight instructor. The first flight was an insurance check flight and was satisfactory. The second flight was also conducted with the instructor because the pilot needed an FAA medical certificate before flying solo. The pilot received a first-class medical certificate on the day of the accident.
The operator stated he was at the airport and observed the airplane in the traffic pattern for runway 18 at 7F3. He estimated the airplane was airborne for about 30 minutes before he noticed smoke coming from the opposite end of the airport. Fire trucks were also seen on the airport property. The airplane was discovered near the south end of runway 18. No witnesses to the accident were reported.
The airplane was equipped with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) system mounted on the tail, but no flight data from the accident date was found.
Pilot Information
The pilot held an FAA private pilot certificate based on his Brazilian pilot certificate, with ratings for airplane single- and multi-engine land. The certificate was issued on January 12, 2023. His flight records indicated 216.7 total hours of flight experience, including 2.8 hours in Cessna 150 airplanes, all of which were in the accident airplane. His first flight in the accident airplane occurred on March 8, 2023 (1.2 hours), and the second on June 8, 2023 (1.6 hours).
Wreckage Examination
The airplane came to rest upright on airport property approximately 200 ft north and 330 ft east of the departure end of runway 18, about 40 ft north of the taxiway connecting the departure ends of runways 18 and 13. An impact mark in the turf at the south edge of the taxiway was consistent with nose wheel impact, and the nose wheel and fractured nose wheel fork were found nearby. Another impact mark on the pavement adjacent to the nose wheel impact was consistent with the fuselage. The relative position of these marks indicated a nose-low impact attitude. A third impact mark on the pavement to the west was consistent with the left wingtip, which was bent upward at the leading edge, consistent with a left-wing low impact. Linear abrasion marks led from the three impact markings across the pavement to the wreckage. Burned vegetation was present around the wreckage and along the taxiway edge.
Examination of the flight control cables showed continuity from cockpit controls to control surfaces, except for the aileron balance cable, which had one break consistent with overload failure. The manual flap handle was in the flaps-up position. Both wings were mostly intact with ailerons and flaps attached, but the wing roots showed burning and melting due to postimpact fire. The aft fuselage and empennage were intact with the rudder and elevator attached. The postimpact fire consumed the cabin section above the floor.
The two-blade metal propeller had one straight blade with little damage and the other bent rearward with chordwise scratching. The damage was consistent with low or no power from the engine. The engine accessory case was almost completely melted. The magnetos were partially melted, precluding functional testing. Upper spark plugs were removed with no discrepancies. The propeller could be partially rotated by hand, confirming continuity of the crankshaft and movement of all pistons. During rotation, the rear crankshaft gear, which drives other gears in the accessory case, was not rotating. The four attaching bolts and dowel pin that interfaced the gear to the crankshaft were broken. The gear, with one half of the dowel pin, and the four bolts were retained for metallurgical evaluation.
Laboratory examination revealed the lock-wire was still intact. Three bolts were broken at the third thread from the straight portion of the shank, and the fourth at the second thread. The fracture mechanism for the bolts could not be determined due to secondary flattening of the fracture surfaces. The fracture surface of the locating dowel pin within the gear showed signatures consistent with shear overstress, and the direction of shear was consistent with fracture from rotational movement of the gear on the crankshaft.
Medical Examination
The Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas, Texas, performed the pilot's autopsy. According to the report, the cause of death was blunt force injuries of the head and trunk sustained in the aircraft crash, with thermal injuries contributing. Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory on the pilot's blood and urine did not identify any impairing substances.