ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 231936
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: | Friday 3 January 2020 |
| Time: | 20:00 |
| Type: |  Cessna 150M |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N45069 |
| MSN: | 15076722 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1975 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6295 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | West of Twentynine Palms Airport (TNP/KTNP ), Twentynine Palms, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Maricopa, AZ (A39) |
| Twentynine Palms Airport, CA (TNP/KTNP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that, upon arrival at the airport after dark, he attempted to activate the pilot-controlled lights by keying the mike seven times. Shortly later, he repeated the process twice, but the runway lights did not turn on. He circled the area to try to locate the airport but was unsuccessful. The airplane was now low on fuel, so the pilot began looking for a place to make a precautionary landing. He landed the airplane on a dirt road, and during the landing rollout, the nose landing gear separated, and the left wing was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Directory noted that medium-intensity runway lights were available at the airport. To activate the pilot-controlled lighting, the pilot must key the mike five times in 5 seconds. The pilot reported that he did not check what the proper procedures were for operating the pilot-controlled lighting for the runway. Airport personnel checked the pilot-controlled lighting system the day after the accident and reported that there were no malfunctions with the system.
Probable Cause: The pilot's poor preflight planning, during which he failed to verify the proper procedure to activate the runway lights; his inability to locate the airport without lighting; and the airplane’s subsequent low-fuel state as he circled looking for the airport, which necessitated a precautionary off-airport landing, during which the nose landing gear separated.
Sources:
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/4532076-dc5b7712f15ef10e0364a2df70c67dcde159faca/aircrafttype/C150
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=45069
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Jan-2020 01:14 | Geno | Added |
| 23-Aug-2020 16:43 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 23-Aug-2020 16:59 | harro | Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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:
©2023 Flight Safety Foundation