Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Tuscaloosa Municipal Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Duncanville, Alabama 35456
Wednesday, July 17, 2002 8:05 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
A witness stated that while traveling westward on U.S. Highway 82, en route to the airport, he saw the Cessna 150, also westbound, flying parallel to the highway on his left side. He estimated the airplane's altitude as 50 to 100 feet above ground level (AGL), in level flight. The airplane was about one-quarter of a mile ahead of the car when he saw it climb steeply, and then turned left and descended straight down disappearing behind some trees. Examination of the airplane found that the leading edges of both wings were crushed aft at approximately a 55-degree nose down angle relative to level flight. Both wings were bulged outward (ballooned) in the area of the fuel tanks. Examination of the airframe and engine failed to disclose any pre-existing structural or mechanical malfunctions
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed , which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent collision with the ground. A contributing factor was low level flight.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/17/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 805 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Duncanville |
| Event State | ALABAMA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 35456 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 330259N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0872521W |
| Event Location Airport | Tuscaloosa Municipal |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | TCL |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 853 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 110 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | TCL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 179 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 14 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 27 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 23 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.18 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 1405 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 17377 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 17 2002 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 945 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 30 2005 6:20AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Birmingham FSDO - 09 |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3400J |
| NTSB Number | ATL02FA143 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 150G |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 15066100 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 30 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 15 |
| Airframe Hours | 3503 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Pearson Aviation LLC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 9551 Bay Meadows Ave |
| Aircraft Owner City | Fairhope |
| Aircraft Owner State | AL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 36532 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Steven H. Pearson |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 9551 Bay Meadows |
| Operator City | Fairhope |
| Operator State | AL |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 36532 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 4R4 |
| Departure City | Fairhope |
| Departure State | AL |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 630 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | TCL |
| Destination City | Tuscaloosa |
| Destination State | AL |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 3 2004 2:40PM |
| User who most recently changed record | POWP |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |