Cessna 150H accident near Bruceton Mills, WV
On November 6, 2003, a Cessna 150H (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bruceton Mills, WV. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 6, 2003
- Place
- Bruceton Mills, WV
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150H · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.569°N, 79.636°W
- NTSB ID
- 20031125X01947
NTSB summary
On November 6, 2003, at 1529 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150H, N23178, was substantially damaged while maneuvering near Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. The non-certificated pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight which originated at the Valley Point Airport (WV29), Valley Point, West Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. A witness who owned a hangar near the pilot's hangar at the Valley Point Airport, reported that the pilot arrived at the airport about 1000 on the day of the accident, and began working on his airplane's nose-wheel landing gear. Shortly after, the witness observed the pilot perform take-offs and landings for about 1 hour, during which, he assumed the pilot was checking the landing gear. After the flight, the pilot stated to the witness that he hadn't slept in a while and that he was going home. The pilot returned to the airport between 1300 and 1400, and appeared to be intoxicated. He had a quart of beer that was approximately half full, and he appeared "sleepy eyed." The pilot then fell asleep in a chair in the witness's hangar for about 40 minutes. When he woke up, he "staggered" around, and then asked the witness if he was going to fly. The witness informed the pilot that the weather was too bad to fly (300-foot overcast ceiling; 0-1 mile visibility), and the pilot left the hangar. Several minutes later, the witness heard an airplane takeoff and fly for about 15 minutes. According to another witness, the weather was "foggy" at the time of the acc
Probable cause
The pilot's physical impairment due to alcohol and his improper decision to attempt flight with a low cloud ceiling, low visibility, after consuming alcohol. A related factor in the accident was the low cloud ceiling.
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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.
