National Transportation Safety Board
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report
Location:
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Festus, MO
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Accident Number:
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CEN18FA384
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Date & Time:
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09/20/2018, 2230 CDT
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Registration:
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N7152S
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Aircraft:
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Cessna 150
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Injuries:
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2 Fatal
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Flight Conducted Under:
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Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
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On
September 20, 2018, about 2230 central daylight time (CDT), a Cessna
150H airplane, N7152S, impacted a tree-covered swamp after executing a
go-around in dark, night conditions near the Festus Memorial Airport
(FES), Festus, Missouri. The left seat air transport pilot and right
seat passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained
substantial damage. The airplane was registered to a private individual
and was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part
91 as a visual flight rules personal flight. Visual meteorological
conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was
filed. The flight originated from the Greensburg Municipal Airport
(I34), Greensburg, Indiana, about 2015 eastern daylight time (EDT).
Family
members of the pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was for
the pilot to travel to Collins, New York, to retrieve the airplane and
bring it to FES. The airplane was going to be used for flight
instruction for the pilot's son, who was also traveling with the pilot
at the time of the accident. The pilot worked professionally as a
commercial airline pilot and previously as a helicopter air ambulance
pilot. The airplane was owned by the pilot's father and was stationed at
a private residence, with a private airstrip. The pilot's father and
the pilot had an "open-ended" agreement that the pilot would eventually
travel to Collins, New York, to retrieve the airplane. On September 20,
2018, the pilot traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to Buffalo, New York,
via commercial airline. The pilot and his son were picked up from the
airport by a family member and transported to the private airstrip. The
pilot departed from the private airstrip about 1400 EDT.
The
cross-country flight consisted of travel through Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana, and Illinois. Receipts provided by a family member and found in
the wreckage showed that the pilot had refueled the airplane three
times during the trip. The first refueling stop was at the Chautauqua
County/Dunkirk Airport (DKK), Dunkirk, New York, at 1434 EDT for 13.4
gallons of 100LL fuel (commonly referred to as "avgas"). The distance
between the private airstrip in Collins, New York, and DKK is about 19
miles. The second refueling stop was at the Knox County Airport (4I3),
Mount Vernon, Ohio, at 1753 EDT for 16.56 gallons of 100LL fuel. The
distance between DKK and 4I3 is about 226 miles. The third refueling
stop was at I34, for 13.62 gallons of 100LL fuel at 2006 EDT. The
distance between 4I3 and I34 is about 174 miles. The distance from I34
to FES is about 275 miles.
During
the trip, the pilot was communicating with his fiancé via text message
from his cellular phone. The pilot communicated to the fiancé that the
airplane was experiencing a "small electrical problem" and he reported
that his estimated time of arrival (ETA) would be determined "at the
next fuel stop… just before dark." The pilot reported to her that the
ETA for FES would be about 2215 CDT. He asked the fiancé to be stationed
on the north end of runway 10 with a flashlight to help vector the
airplane in for landing. The pilot directed the fiancé, "lights on the
north end pointing north."
FES
has one asphalt runway, 10 and 19, that is 2,202 feet long and 46 feet
wide. The airport lighting system at FES consisted of runway edge lights
(medium intensity runway lights) along with runway end identifier
lights. These types of lighting systems are considered pilot controlled
lighting where a pilot can activate the lighting system while airborne
by keying the aircraft's microphone a set number of times on the
airport's common traffic advisory frequency. The lighting system can
also be manually activated by a switch on the outside of the main
hangar/office building at FES. A review of Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Notices to Airmen (commonly referred to as
"NOTAMS") data for the day of the accident found no malfunctions or
failures of the airport lighting system listed for FES.
The
pilot reported to the fiancé that he would attempt to activate the
airport lighting system with a handheld very high frequency (VHF) radio,
but he was unsure if the radio had enough battery power to perform the
task. The fiancé traveled to the requested area at the airport. She
reported that the airplane was landing from the north to runway 10. In
addition to the lighting provide by the fiancé, the main hangar/office
building had one outside light on at the time of the accident. The pilot
attempted to land, but she was unsure if the airplane touched down on
the runway due to the dark, night conditions present that hampered her
visual acquisition of the airplane. She reported that the airplane was
"blacked out" and did not have any exterior lights on when it tried to
land. The pilot executed a go-around procedure. The last text message
from the pilot stated, "keep light on." After several minutes of not
seeing or hearing the airplane, the fiancé tried contacting the pilot
multiple times with no response. The fiancé contacted law enforcement
about 30 minutes after the last text message was received.
The
Jefferson County (Missouri) Sheriff's Office initiated a search for the
missing airplane working with multiple ground and air assets. Data
acquired from the cellular phones in the wreckage were used to help
determine the search area. The wreckage was located by air assets in a
tree-covered swamp, near the Plattin Creek, on September 21 about 0740
CDT. The wreckage was situated about one quarter of a mile south east of
the departure end of runway 19 and about 440 feet above mean sea level.
The airplane was equipped with a Pointer 3000 emergency locator
transmitter (ELT), Technical Standard Order 91 (operating on 121.5/243.0
megahertz). The U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall
Air Force Base, Florida, reported no ELT signals were received by their
monitoring systems from the accident airplane.
On
September 22, the National Transportation Safety Board
investigation-in-charge, two aviation safety inspectors from the FAA St.
Louis Flight Standards District Office, and air safety investigators
from Continental Motors and Textron Aviation traveled to the accident
site. The investigative team hiked to the accident site and an
examination was conducted on the airframe and engine. During the
examination, no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the
airplane were noted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both
wings, the fuselage, and the empennage. All structural components of the
airplane were located at the accident site.
Photograph 1 - Aerial view of the wreckage (courtesy of KSDK.com).
No
evidence of breaching was observed with the wings that held the fuel
tanks. A total of about 2.25 gallons of fuel were extracted from both
fuel tanks. The Cessna 150H pilot's operating handbook (POH) states that
the maximum capacity for both fuel tanks is 26 gallons total (13
gallons in each tank). The POH further states that the usable fuel
amount for all flight conditions is 22.5 gallons total and the unusable
fuel amount is 3.5 gallons total.
The
alternator and voltage regulator were removed from the wreckage and
were retained for future examination and testing. An examination of the
maintenance records revealed no evidence of uncorrected mechanical
discrepancies with the airplane. Two working handheld flashlights were
found in the cockpit. The handheld VHF radio, two cellular phones, and
an electronic tablet were recovered from the wreckage and secured.
The
U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, District of Columbia, provided
various sun and moon data for the day of the accident for FES. Sunset
was 1902, and the end of civil twilight was 1928. Moonrise was 1656, and
the moon transit was 2206. The phase of the moon was listed as, "Waxing
Gibbous with 83% of the moon's civil disk illuminated."
The
two-seat capacity airplane, serial number 15067852, was manufactured in
1967. The airplane was equipped with a 100 horsepower Continental
Motors O-200-A carbureted engine, serial number 67630-7-A.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
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Aircraft Make:
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Cessna
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Registration:
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N7152S
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Model/Series:
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150 H
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Aircraft Category:
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Airplane
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Amateur Built:
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No
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Operator:
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On file
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Operating Certificate(s) Held:
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None
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Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
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Conditions at Accident Site:
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Visual Conditions
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Condition of Light:
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Night/Dark
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Observation Facility, Elevation:
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KCPS, 413 ft msl
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Observation Time:
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0353 UTC
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Distance from Accident Site:
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25 Nautical Miles
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Temperature/Dew Point:
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27°C / 19°C
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Lowest Cloud Condition:
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Clear
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Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction:
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5 knots / , 180°
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Lowest Ceiling:
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None
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Visibility
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10 Miles
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Altimeter Setting:
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29.91 inches Hg
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Type of Flight Plan Filed:
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None
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Departure Point:
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Greensburg, IN (I34)
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Destination:
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Festus, MO (FES)
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Wreckage and Impact Information
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Crew Injuries:
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1 Fatal
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Aircraft Damage:
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Substantial
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Passenger Injuries:
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1 Fatal
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Aircraft Fire:
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None
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Ground Injuries:
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N/A
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Aircraft Explosion:
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None
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Total Injuries:
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2 Fatal
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Latitude, Longitude:
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38.190000, -90.384444 (est)
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Administrative Information
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Investigator In Charge (IIC):
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Michael J Hodges
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Additional Participating Persons:
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Norman Loftsgard; FAA St. Louis FSDO; St. Ann, MO
Jennifer Barclay; Textron Aviation; Wichita, KS
Christopher Lang; Continental Motors; Mobile, AL
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Note:
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The NTSB traveled to the scene of this accident.
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=========================
Obituary of Michael Metzger
Michael Gunnar Metzger, age 56, died in the early morning of Friday, September 21st, 2018 when the Cessna 150 he was piloting with his son, Jacob Metzger, crashed while trying to land in Festus, Missouri.
Michael was born on June 13, 1962 in Topeka, Kansas. He grew up around planes. Mike started flying when he was just 13 years old. From there, he joined the US Army. He later transferred to the US Air Force and finally to the Iowa National Guard. During this time, he also flew Medevac helicopters, most notably for the University of Iowa hospital. Once retired from the military, he began flying commercially for American Airlines. He was very active in the local aviation community where he lived, in Hillsboro, Missouri, and was a CO in the Missouri Commemorative Air Force.
In his free time, he was absolutely devoted to his children. He would carry their pictures with him and talk about them to anyone who would listen. He was a true nature lover, and was always excited to talk about his hummingbirds and the waterfall he always wanted in his backyard.
Michael is survived by three children, Aly, JC, and Shane Metzger, and his fiancée, Margo Smith.
Michael Gunnar Metzger, age 56, died in the early morning of Friday, September 21st, 2018 when the Cessna 150 he was piloting with his son, Jacob Metzger, crashed while trying to land in Festus, Missouri.
Michael was born on June 13, 1962 in Topeka, Kansas. He grew up around planes. Mike started flying when he was just 13 years old. From there, he joined the US Army. He later transferred to the US Air Force and finally to the Iowa National Guard. During this time, he also flew Medevac helicopters, most notably for the University of Iowa hospital. Once retired from the military, he began flying commercially for American Airlines. He was very active in the local aviation community where he lived, in Hillsboro, Missouri, and was a CO in the Missouri Commemorative Air Force.
In his free time, he was absolutely devoted to his children. He would carry their pictures with him and talk about them to anyone who would listen. He was a true nature lover, and was always excited to talk about his hummingbirds and the waterfall he always wanted in his backyard.
Michael is survived by three children, Aly, JC, and Shane Metzger, and his fiancée, Margo Smith.