ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 213455
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Wednesday 18 July 2018 |
| Time: | 16:17 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 150M |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N66778 |
| MSN: | 150-76271 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Engine model: | Continental O-200-A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Terrance B. Lettsome Airport, Beef Island -
 British Virgin Islands
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Tortola-Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, Beef Island (EIS/TUPJ) |
| Pointe-à-Pitre-Le Raizet Airport (PTP/TFFR) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft took off from runway 07 at Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, Beef Island, on the sixth leg of a delivery flight from Florida to Argentina.
During lift-off run, other pilots on the ground observed the aircraft suffering a tail strike, and displaying oscillations in pitch. After take-off, the aircraft was seen climbing to 100-200 ft and fly along the length of the runway at slow speed in a nose-high attitude. It then turned left before entering a steep dive and strike the waters of the Atlantic Ocean near Trellis Bay. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the sole pilot on board was fatally injured. He was wearing his lap strap but not his shoulder harness, and suffered a major blow to the head in the impact.
No evidence was found of any pre-existing relevant defect with the aircraft or engine. The aircraft was operating slightly above its maximum take-off weight and with the centre of gravity (CoG) aft of the approved limit. Several items in the cabin were not secured – including a 20-USG ferry tank installed without approval – and it is possible that some items shifted aft during the take-off roll, moving the CoG even further aft. The CoG shift may have caused control difficulties resulting in the stall.
The pilot had flown for over 13 hours in the two days before the accident, and fatigue may have been a contributing factor in the accident. It could not be determined if the pilot would have survived the impact if he had been wearing his shoulder harness.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://bvibeacon.com/pilot-dead-in-plane-crash-at-beef-island/
http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/pilot-dies-in-plane-crash-off-beef-island-airport/article_111a1287-b498-5c8d-a0c9-6beb9a10eb9d.html
http://bvinews.com/new/update-aircraft-crash-victim-dies/
http://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/NNum_results.aspx?NNumbertxt=66777
Investigation report: https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aaib-investigation-to-cessna-150m-n66778
_______________________
Location
Media:
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS – Pilot dies in Cessna 150 plane crash at Terrance Lettsome Airport.https://t.co/zpStwKU3UU via @CNewsService pic.twitter.com/R9pr5gX8x9
— Planes Of Legend (@PlanesOfLegend) 19 juillet 2018
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Jul-2018 00:19 | Geno | Added |
| 19-Jul-2018 00:25 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 19-Jul-2018 08:20 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Registration, Nature, Source, Damage] |
| 19-Jul-2018 20:06 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 20-Jul-2018 05:21 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code] |
| 22-Jul-2018 16:29 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 20-Jun-2019 11:31 | Deeday-UK | Updated [Registration, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Jun-2019 11:40 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 20-Jun-2019 14:52 | Deeday-UK | Updated [Cn, Nature, Narrative] |
| 23-Jun-2019 16:10 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 01-May-2022 03:29 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation