Cessna 150H N50133 accident near Mattituck, New York

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion.

NTSB analysis

The pilot stated he went flying in windy conditions and that during landing, a crosswind “blew” the airplane to the left side of runway 19. He attempted to realign the airplane with the runway centerline, however, the nose “dropped sharply.” The pilot tried to bring the nose up again, but the nose landing gear struck the runway “hard.” The nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest off the left side of the runway. During the accident sequence, the main wing spar was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The recorded wind 9 nautical miles southwest of the airport, three minutes after the accident was from 120° at 4 kts.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA23LA169 for the full record.