Cessna 150 N11519 accident near Gainesville, Georgia

Probable cause

The pilot’s sudden incapacitation due to an in-flight cardiac arrest, which necessitated a landing by a non-pilot passenger and resulted in a hard landing and collapse of the nose landing gear.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was approaching the destination airport following a short cross-country flight when he became incapacitated. The passenger reported that the pilot became unresponsive to her calling out to him. The passenger, who had no prior flight experience, reported that the pilot had already announced his intention to land on the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) and that she could see the airport when she took control of the airplane. Witnesses reported that she transmitted “emergency, emergency” on the CTAF. Although other pilots responded and offered assistance, she made no additional transmissions.

FAA flight track data showed that after overflying the airport, the passenger made three unsuccessful landing attempts before landing on runway 5 on the fourth attempt. The last flight track data point showed the airplane about 250 ft southwest of the runway 05 threshold on a northeasterly track at a ground speed of 108 knots. The airplane impacted the runway nose first, collapsing the nose landing gear, and slid along the runway. A small fire subsequently developed near the forward portion of the airplane, and the lower forward fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot was transported to a local hospital, where he died two days later.

Based on the available medical evidence, the pilot’s sudden incapacitation was likely due to in-flight cardiac arrest. The pilot had significant underlying heart disease, including coronary artery disease and heart damage from a previous heart attack. Toxicological testing identified no impairing substances. An autopsy was not performed. FAA records showed that the pilot had met the applicable BasicMed requirements for the flight.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA019 for the full record.