I just got off the phone with my friend who was the pilot involved in this crash. She has pretty much admitted her mistakes to anyone who will listen and I am posting her version of the facts her not to lambast her but in the hope that others will learn and aviod similar mistakes. So to start forgive me for not posting this in Never Again but the thread was already started.
Pilot was flying a Cessna 150 from N10 ( Perkiomen Valley PA) to N79 (Shamokin , Northumberland PA) on a 63.7 nm XC. Flight was just for pleasure and practice.
Pilot reported that all went well with the Take off, enroute and approach phases of the VFR flight.
Pilot reports light winds of 6kts, 10sm vis and clear skys.
Pilot told me she crossed the numbers at N79 doing about 60kts. Which she said is standard for the 150. I have Never flown a 150 so I can't say but it seems fast to me based upon the Archer and Tiger numbers. She had full flaps in.
She told me that she started to pourpose so she put the nose down which usually works to stop the pourposing for her. Again unfamaliar with cessnas but I would not do that in the pipers or Tigers. She reported the pourpose got worse ( What I would expect from putting the nose down) and added some power but was concerned she could not put it down in the remaining runway. So she decided on a go around.
She applied full throttle and had barely any climb. She reports that she started to drift to the left ( high angle of attack and P Factor?)Although she says angle of attack was not that great. Drifting to the left she was headed for some trees.
She then related her near fatal mistake. ( or one of them) with full power full flaps and no climb very little airspeed and drifting to the left she paniced. She danced on the rudders. she said she has never been great with rudder skills and does not use them well. Simultaneoulsy she retracted ALL flaps at once and sunk. She believes her main gear clipped a tree and the plane litterally just stopped flying.
She said in about 3 seconds the plane nosed over straight down and her OH SHI^. She said she went straight down the plane hit nose first and flipped on its back and broke in three peices. Both doors popped open. She recalls being strapped in the seat upside down ( Seat belts save lives even in planes folks ( Nick that means buckle up). Her first thought was I have to get out the plane could blow up or catch fire. for some reason she tried to get out the pax door but couldn't.
Then she got out the pilot door and walked out. Yes walked out! She laid on the ground a few minutes and saw no one. There was no other traffic and the radio was quiet. When getting out of the plane she saw that the bone was sticking out of her right arm ( compound fracture).
She got up and went back to the plane to get her cell phone that was in her purse. For some reason her first call was to the FBO at Perk Valley and she told them what happened. The next was to her mom to tell her to take care of her dog ( go figure, I think she was in shock) the next to 911.
The FBO at Perk Valley tried to call the FBO at N79 but no one answered they finally called back about 2-3 hours later and said they had been there all day but didn't see anything HUH?
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Kim has a compoud fracture of her right arm ( Broken in 2 places) a Few broken ribs on her left abdomen near her stomach. A few broken ribs in her right back. Broke her right thumb in two places and a broken orbital bone under one of her eyes. Not to mention lots of cuts and scrapes.
She made some serious mistakes which she recognized and freely admitted. When I spoke to her I couldn't brinng myself to scold her I was just happy she was alive. She said FAA said she was about 100' don't know if thats AGL or MSL.
She told me she is going to fly again but not before spending a lot of time with a CFI. Luckly she did have renters insurance.
I hope everyone learns something here. Sigh
