Cessna 150L N1701Q accident near Godley, Texas

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control while practicing a power-on stall, which resulted in an inadvertent spin at an altitude from which he was unable to recover.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot was conducting a local solo flight. Review of flight track data revealed that, during the final 6.5 minutes of the flight, the airplane completed several large deceleration-and-acceleration cycles between 1,000 and 1,700 ft above ground level (agl). During each of these cycles, the airplane’s airspeed decreased below aerodynamic stall speed before it increased again. The airspeed and altitude profiles during these maneuvers were consistent with the pilot practicing aerodynamic stalls.

Shortly before the accident, the airplane entered a rapid climb while the airspeed decreased below aerodynamic stall speed, consistent with an intentional power-on stall entry. There was a 6-second interruption in track data coverage after the airplane entered the aerodynamic stall, but when coverage resumed, the airplane was in a rapid descent that continued until the end of recorded data about 8 seconds later.

A witness reported seeing the airplane flying at slow speed, almost “hovering” in the air, before it suddenly entered a spiraling nosedive. The airplane completed at least 6 to 8 rotations in the descending spiral before it descended out of sight behind a hill. An extensive postimpact fire thermally damaged most of the airplane.

A wreckage examination revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal airplane operation. The pilot’s autopsy and postmortem toxicology tests did not reveal any evidence of medical incapacitation or impairment. Based on the available information, the pilot likely did not maintain airplane control during the intentional power-on stall, which resulted in an inadvertent spin at an altitude from which he was unable to recover.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN24FA188 for the full record.