An accident involving a Cessna that struck a tree and overturned during take-off shows why it’s vital for pilots to know how the performance limits of their aircraft.
On 9 February 2013, the Cessna 150F was taking off on the 11th fairway of the Mt Broughton Golf Course, NSW. The pilot had permission to land on the golf course and said he had previously landed and taken off there without incident.
The pilot reported that the aircraft accelerated as normal, but when he realised it would not clear the trees at the end of the landing area, he elected to reject the take-off. The pilot reduced power and applied the brakes but ran out of clear space before the Cessna’s left wing hit a tree. The aircraft turned over and came to rest upside down. The pilot was uninjured, but the aircraft was badly damaged.
The accident highlights the importance of pilots following the published performance data for their aircraft and knowing the performance requirements...
The pilot stated that the landing area had short grass that was wet with dew. He said that the aircraft had been fitted with a more powerful 160 horsepower engine (instead of the original 100 horsepower) and he did not know the available take-off distance at Mt Broughton.
An insurance assessor subsequently investigated the accident site and determined that the take-off length of the landing area was 1,180 feet. The performance charts for a standard Cessna 150F required 1,583 ft, however there was no available performance data for the 160 hp engine.
The accident highlights the importance of pilots following the published performance data for their aircraft and knowing the performance requirements, physical characteristics and dimensions of the landing area that they intend to use. Other factors such as environmental conditions also need to be taken into account.
Read the report: Collision on ground involving a Cessna 150F aircraft, VH-ICE, 21 km south-west of Mittagong (ALA), New South Wales, on 9 February 2013