CEN15LA114

Factual narrative

On January 9, 2015, about 1100 central standard time, a Cessna 150G airplane, N2871S, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground and nosed over following a loss of engine power during a go-around from runway 24 at the Pontiac Municipal Airport (PNT), Pontiac, Illinois. The flight instructor was not injured and the student pilot reported minor injuries. The airplane sustained damage to the wing, vertical stabilizer and rudder. The aircraft was registered to and operated by Griffith Aviation under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Griffith-Merrillville Airport (05C), Griffith, Indiana, about 1000.The student pilot reported that they were making a straight in approach to runway 24 at PNT. At this time the student pilot was manipulating the airplane controls. The attempted landing resulted in a go-around and the flight instructor took control of the airplane. Another landing attempt was made with the flight instructor manipulating the controls and the student observing. During the landing the airplane "was not steady and would bounce". The flight instructor attempted a go-around and advanced the throttle control. During the climb, the student pilot heard "a sound," and the airplane veered to the left and stopped climbing. He said that when the airplane touched down it flipped over. The flight instructor reported that while performing a go-around, the engine began to sputter. He stated that when he pushed the carburetor heat control forward, the engine quit. He stated that this occurred when the airplane was about 5 ft above ground level. The right crosswind pushed the airplane to the left. The flight instructor attempted to land in a field to the right of the runway but the airplane landing gear sunk into the snow and the airplane nosed over. Examination of the airplane failed to reveal any defects although the wings had been removed for transport and the engine had been removed in preparation for examination. A complete teardown examination of the airplane's engine was performed following the accident. No defects were found. The carburetor was disassembled and the fuel bowl was clean and no defects were noted. The weather conditions at the accident airport at 1055 were: Wind 290 degrees at 20 knots gusting to 26 knots; 10 statute miles visibility; overcast ceiling at 2,200 feet above ground level; temperature -14 degrees Celsius; dew point -18 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 30.38 inches of mercury. According to a carburetor icing probability graph, the recorded temperature and dew point were outside of the range of susceptibility for carburetor icing. The runway used for the attempted landing, runway 24, was 5,000 ft long and 75 ft wide. The student pilot reported that there was no snow or ice on the runway, but there were snow banks along the sides of the runway. According to the flight instructor, the student pilot was attempting to land the airplane but conducted an attempted go-around. The flight instructor then took control of the airplane. The student pilot reported that, as the flight instructor was attempting the second landing, the airplane bounced, at which time, the flight instructor initiated a go-around. The flight instructor reported that the engine then began to sputter and that, when he turned off the carburetor heat, the engine quit as the airplane was about 5 ft above the ground. He further stated that a right crosswind pushed the airplane to the left and that he subsequently attempted to land the airplane in a field left of the runway; however, the landing gear sunk into the snow, and the airplane subsequently nosed over. Examination of the airplane, engine, and carburetor revealed no anomalies. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. Based on the available information, it is likely that the flight instructor lost directional control during the attempted go-around, which resulted in an off-runway landing and a subsequent nose-over. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• F Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - F
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Yaw control-Not attained/maintained - C