Cessna 150 accident near Welch, WV
On May 10, 1996, a Cessna 150 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Welch, WV. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 10, 1996
- Place
- Welch, WV
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.360°N, 81.101°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05790
NTSB summary
On May 10, 1996, at 1610 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150, N6303S, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain after striking a static wire and power lines near Welch, West Virginia. The certificated private pilot and the one passenger sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, no flight plan was filed. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91. The aircraft departed Welch Municipal Airport (I25) on a local flight at approximately 1550. One witness reported to the West Virginia State Police that he saw a plane "...the same one that was on TV at the crash scene. The plane was flying right here in front of the house and almost hit some power lines. I didn't see any smoke or anything. It appeared to be running fine. The plane looked like it was doing tricks or something. It would go straight up in the air and then come back down. Then I looked out a side window and saw the plane go straight up the hollow behind our house. About ...two (2) to five (5) minutes later I heard two (2) loud noises. Then I saw some white colored smoke blowing down from the area of some power lines. I just thought a transformer had blown up." A second witness reported to the West Virginia State Police that he "...met up with [the pilot ] and [the passenger] at [a bar] in Welch at 2:40 P.M. on the day they crashed. We decided to go up on the mountain so they could fly. They bought a six (6) pack of beer and each of them drank just a little out of one can." The witness reported that when they got to the airport the pilot did some wo
Probable cause
the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol which led to his failure to maintain sufficient altitude to clear obstacles. A factor was his intentional buzzing.
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Browse: West Virginia · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
