CESSNA 150F

Full Narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 31, 2024, at about 1837 central daylight time, a Cessna 150F airplane, N8110S, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Wilder, Tennessee. The student pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The student pilot originally departed Atlanta Regional Airport-Falcon Field (FFC) Atlanta, Georgia earlier in the day and flew the 158 nautical mile (nm) flight to Cross Memorial Airport – Whitson Field (CSV), Crossville, Tennessee where he landed about 1729 and was on the ground for about 45 minutes; he fueled the airplane before departing on the second leg of the flight.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) track data revealed that the accident airplane departed from runway 26 at CSV, about 1817 and the pilot was enroute to his final destination of DuPage Airport (DPA) Chicago/West Chicago, Illinois; about 385 nautical miles north-northwest. Night lighting conditions existed during departure from CSV as sunset had occurred at 1744 and the end of civil twilight was at 1811. In addition, the new moon had set at 1711 and was about 69° below the horizon.
After departure, the airplane proceeded to the northeast on a track of about 062°for about 5 nm, then turned to about 042° for several miles while climbing to 4,600 ft mean sea level (msl). The airplane then turned toward a northwesterly track of about 340° while briefly maintaining 5,000 ft msl. The airplane’s flight track meandered back and forth between 320° and 355° for about 5 miles and the airplane began a descent from 5,000 ft msl to about 3,500 ft msl as the airplane flew over a residential area and highway. The airplane flew parallel to the road for about 1 mile before turning to the left and approaching a sparce residential area, followed by a dense forest and rising terrain. The airplane continued to descend to about 1,700 ft msl, before climbing back to 2,100 ft. msl. About one minute before the accident, the airplane turned to about 260° while at 1,700 ft msl. The ADS-B data ended about 1837, at an altitude of about 200 ft above the ground, and about 0.3 miles east of the accident site (see figure 1). The pilot was not in contact with air traffic control prior to the accident and there were no known distress calls received by any facilities in the area.

Figure 1 - The accident airplane’s ADS-B flight track (green arrows) as it flew northwest and the annotated location of the accident site with an inset view of the flight’s final 2 minutes. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe pilot had purchased the airplane about one month prior to the accident. He held a student pilot certificate and reported on an insurance application, submitted on the day of the accident, that he had accumulated 65 total hours of flight experience, including 30 hours in the accident airplane make and model. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe KOHX WSR-88D base reflectivity images depicted portions light intensity echoes along the accident flight track in the last 5 minutes of flight (see figure 2). The reflectivity values were moving from west to east. There were no lightning flashes reported within 25 miles of the accident site within 10 minutes prior to and following the accident time.

Figure 2 - KOHX WSR-88D reflectivity for the 0.53° elevation scan initiated at 1833:05 with the accident airplane’s location at that time annotated by a black circle. The magenta line shows the airplane’s flight track from takeoff through the accident while the red circle shows the accident site.
The NWS Surface Analysis Chart centered over the Tennessee Valley of the United States for 1900 depicted an outflow boundary located in the immediate vicinity of the accident site stretching north to south. There was convective outlook near the accident site where a chance of thunderstorms was predicted.
The recorded weather conditions at Livingston Municipal Airport (8A3) Livingston, Tennessee, was located about 12 west-northwest of the accident site at an elevation of 1,372 ft. included, wind calm, visibility 10 miles or greater, an overcast ceiling at 2,900 ft above ground level (agl), a temperature of 16°C, a dew point temperature of 15°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.13 inches of mercury.
The 1900 High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) sounding for the accident site indicated an unstable to conditionally unstable atmosphere from the surface through 2,250 ft, then a stable atmosphere from 2,250 ft through 3,750 ft, then another conditionally unstable layer between 3,750 ft and 8,200 ft. The atmosphere was conducive for the development of convective activity and the maximum vertical velocity for this atmosphere was calculated as 10 meters/second (about 1,970 ft per minute). Cloud cover was between 2,000 ft and 10,500 ft.
There was a convective SIGMET valid for the accident site at the accident time that forecasted an area of embedded thunderstorms with tops to FL230 with the SIGMET box area moving from 250° at 35 knots and there was an Airmen’s Meteorological Information advisory for the accident site at the accident time for moderate turbulence below 14,000 ft.
The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) products issued by the AWC before the accident flight and valid at 1600 and 1900 and issued around 1100 and 1700 indicated VFR visibilities with a chance (between 30 and 60 percent) of rain showers with a south wind of 10 knots and gusts to 20 knots. The GFA cloud forecast applicable to the accident site for 1600 indicated cirrus clouds at the accident site. The GFA cloud forecast applicable to the accident site for 1900 indicated scattered to overcast cloud cover at the accident site with scattered clouds at 2,700 ft, overcast clouds at 7,000 ft, clouds tops at FL340.
A search of archived information indicated that the pilot did not request weather information from Leidos Flight Service. The pilot did have an account with ForeFlight but did not file a flight plan through ForeFlight. The pilot did view and update route strings. When the pilot viewed airport information from 5 airports, text weather information would have been available for the pilot to view, but it is unknown if the accident pilot viewed any text weather information. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe pilot had purchased the airplane about one month prior to the accident. He held a student pilot certificate and reported on an insurance application, submitted on the day of the accident, that he had accumulated 65 total hours of flight experience, including 30 hours in the accident airplane make and model. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane impacted a 100-ft-tall hardwood tree, and the wreckage path was oriented on a magnetic heading of 146° at an elevation of about 1,600 ft. The outboard half of the left wing remained lodged in the top of the tree along the wreckage path. The empennage, aft fuselage, and main landing gear also separated after impact with the tree. The main wreckage, consisting of the right wing, cockpit, engine, and propeller, came to rest inverted at the base of another tree and was completely consumed by a postimpact fire. All structural components of the airframe were located within the confines of the debris field, which was about 250 ft in length. The cockpit structure, instrument panel, and avionics were mostly consumed by fire. The fuel system was destroyed; however, the fuel shutoff valve was discovered in the open position.
Due to severe damage to the flight controls, only partial flight control continuity could be established. Bellcranks were thermally damaged or destroyed and all control cables had a “broomstraw” appearance indicative of tensile overload. Of the flight control evidence examined, there were no anomalous pre impact findings observed that would preclude normal flight control operation.
The magnesium engine accessory case was consumed by fire. The magnetos were thermally damaged and could not be functionally tested. The camshaft and crankshaft gears remained intermeshed and intact. The valve rockers and pushrods were intact. Visual examination into the engine case from the accessory end of the engine did not reveal preimpact anomalies with the crankshaft assembly or valve train. The top spark plugs were removed and examined; they were normal in color and showed minimal wear when compared to a Champion Check-a-Plug chart. The carburetor sustained severe thermal damage.
The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft. One of the blades was bent aft midspan and sustained thermal damage near the tip. The opposing blade remained straight. Multiple tree limbs from two to five inches in diameter with 45° cuts were observed along the wreckage path. There was no evidence discovered that would preclude normal engine operation or airplane performance. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe Knox County Regional Forensic Center, Knoxville, Tennessee performed an autopsy of the pilot’s remains, as authorized by the Fentress County Medicolegal Death Investigator. According to the pilot’s autopsy report, his cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and his manner of death was accident.
Postmortem toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected lamotrigine at 9525 ng/g in the pilot’s liver tissue and at 6085 ng/mL in his urine. Pharmacy records indicated that the pilot had been prescribed lamotrigine (75 mg by mouth daily, at bedtime), by a psychiatrist, most recently on October 23, 2024. The pilot’s prescribed lamotrigine dosage had been the same since March 2024. Pharmacy records also indicated a past prescription for atomoxetine (a prescription medication that may be used in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).
Lamotrigine - Lamotrigine is a prescription medication that can be used to treat seizure disorders and bipolar disorder, and for migraine headache prevention. Lamotrigine typically carries a warning that it may cause dizziness, sleepiness, and other symptoms and signs of central nervous system depression, and that users should not drive or operate other complex machinery until they have gained sufficient experience to gauge whether the drug adversely affects their mental and/or motor performance. The FAA considers lamotrigine to be a “do not issue/do not fly” medication.
The 37-year-old male pilot’s last aviation medical examination was November 15, 2023. At that time, he reported no medication use. He reported medical history including a 60% Veterans Affairs disability rating for lower back muscle scarring/stiffness. He was issued a third-class medical certificate without limitation.
In a post-accident interview with the NTSB, the pilot’s wife stated she was unaware of the pilot having any active medical condition or using any medication.