ATL95LA096

Factual narrative

On May 12, 1995, about 1930 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150, N9215U, collided with the ground during a landing at Indian Trail, North Carolina. The airplane was operated by a student pilot, under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. There were no injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The local flight originated about 1820, on the same day. A commercial rated pilot, with 500 hours of total flight time, observed the aircraft after initial touch down on runway 22. The aircraft bounced, and then pitched up. The witness recalled that the aircraft was then about 15 feet above the ground, to the left of the runway, in a nose high, left wing down attitude. The nose then pitched down, and the aircraft collided with downward sloping terrain, adjacent to the runway. The nose gear broke off and the airplane nosed over. According to the student pilot, the initial touchdown seemed normal. The pilot said that when the aircraft bounced, he initiated a go-around. As he attempted the go-around, the aircraft turned to the left, and then collided with the downsloping terrain. The pilot climbed out of the aircraft unharmed. The witness observed that fuel was venting from the left wing and the flaps were fully extended. The flight controls were intact, the carburetor heat was on, and the throttle was half way in. There were no marks on the runway, and the nose gear had broken off at the engine mounts. At this time the pilot stated that the aircraft had caught a gust of wind, and that he had attempted a go-around. At 1950, on the same day, the weather service on the field, at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, 20 nautical miles west of the accident, reported winds from 130 degrees at 3 knots. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN WHILE ATTEMPTING A VISUAL LANDING, AT GOOSE CREEK AIRPORT, IN INDIAN TRAIL, NORTH CAROLINA. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED AFTER INITIAL TOUCHDOWN ON RUNWAY 22. THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN ABOUT 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY, IN A NOSE HIGH, LEFT WING DOWN ATTITUDE. THE NOSE THEN PITCHED DOWN, AND THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH DOWNWARD SLOPING TERRAIN, ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE GEAR BROKE OFF AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND FOLLOWING THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN. THE WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE INTACT, THE FLAPS WERE FULLY EXTENDED, AND THE THROTTLE WAS HALF WAY IN. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12