# Accident 20061214029249A: Cessna 172C, Middletown, NY, December 14, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 14, 2006, 16:30 local time
- Place: Middletown, NY
- Airport: Randall Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.4319° N, 74.3917° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4319&lon=-74.3917&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8260X, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8260X-2007-09-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172C (registry code 2072408, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172C
- Reported engine: AMTR O200
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 26,360 total, 1,000 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC07CA049](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC07CA049) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20061214029249A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON DECEMBER 14, 2006, AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 EST, THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS BEING REPOSITIONED FROM GREENWOOD LAKE AIRPORT (4N1), WEST MILFORD, NJ TO RANDALL AIRPORT (06N), MIDDLETOWN, NY FOR THE PURPOSE OF HAVING THE ANNUAL INSPECTION PERFORMED. THE PILOT REFERS TO THIS IN HIS STATEMENT AS A FERRY FLIGHT ALTHOUGH AIRCRAFT WAS NOT OPERATING UNDER A SPECIAL FLIGHT PERMIT AND WAS AIRWORTHY. ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 26 AT 06N THE PILOT STATED THAT HE, CONFRONTED WITH SUN GLARE, MISJUDGED HIS DESCENT RATE AND ALIGNMENT AND STRUCK TREES WITH THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT WING CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL OVER AND IMPACT THE GROUND INVERTED AT APPROXIMATELY A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST 1335 FEET FROM THE END OF RUNWAY 26 AND 480 FEET TO THE RIGHT OF THE EXTENDED CENTERLINE. NO FIRE OCCURRED AND THE PILOT ESCAPED WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES. PILOT STATEMENT: THIS WAS A FERRY FLIGHT FROM GREENWOOD LAKE AIRPORT (4N1) TO RANDALL AIRPORT (06N) ON DEC. 14, 2006 IN CESSNA 172 N8260X, STARTING ABOUT 330 PM EST OF ABOUT 22 SM. RANDALL AIRPORT WAS VISIBLE FROM 5 TO 7 MILES OUT IN HAZE. THE WIND FAVORED RUNWAY 26. THE DOWNWIND AND BASE LEGS WERE NORMAL SLOWING TO 70 MPH WITH 20 DEGREES FLAP. TURNING ON TO FINAL A COMBINATION OF HAZY VISIBILITY, A CRAZED WINDSHIELD AND SUN GLARE RESULTED IN MISJUDGEMENT OF DESCENT RATE AND ALIGNMENT. TREES APPEARED OFF THE RIGHT WING AND BEFORE I COULD REACT THE RIGHT WING HIT A TREE, VEERED RIGHT, ROLLED OVER AND WENT DOWN ON AN ANGLE BETWEEN 30 AND 45 DEGREES, INVERTED. THERE WAS NO FIRE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC07CA049](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC07CA049), Dec 14, 2006: Cessna 172C (N8260X), Middletown, NY, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot misjudging distance/altitude during the turn from base to final, which resulted in an undershoot and subsequent collision with trees. A factor was the haze.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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