Cessna 150 N8185F accident near Atco, New Jersey

Probable cause

The student pilot's improper decision to intentionally maneuver at low altitude while waving to people on the ground, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot was conducting a local flight that consisted of traffic pattern work and landings and then several orbits in the area. After completing the orbits, the student flew near a friend's house, where he executed a left, 360° turn while flying at a low altitude despite being counseled against doing so by his flight instructor and the instructor's son, who was also a pilot. The instructor reported that the student had a habit of "making low passes." The student's friend waved to him, and he waved back, and then the friend and another witness noticed the airplane's bank angle increase while the airspeed was slowing. According to GPS data, while the airplane was flying about 58 mph, which is about the stall speed with the airplane at gross weight with the flaps retracted and a bank angle of about 20°, its nose pitched down, consistent with a stall/mush. Witnesses reported hearing the engine rev-up, hesitate briefly, then respond during the uncontrolled descent, but they reported it was "too late." The airplane impacted a wooded area, and its propeller cut some trees, consistent with the engine developing power at the time of impact.

Examination of the airplane revealed that the flaps were retracted, and there was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the flight controls for roll, pitch, or yaw. It is likely that the student, while maneuvering and turning the airplane while waving, which would have increased his workload, was unable to appropriately divide and prioritize his attention and allowed the airplane to exceed its critical angle of attack near its stall speed at too low of an altitude to recover.

Although toxicological evidence indicated that the pilot had used three sedating and/or impairing substances (amitriptyline, tetrahydrocannabinol, and diphenhydramine, the last two of which were at very low levels), the investigation could not determine whether they contributed to the accident or affected the student's aeronautical decision-making.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA15FA352 for the full record.