- Date
- July 16, 2014, 16:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Midland, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N76097Cessna 120
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 14, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Grand Rapids FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140716011239A
- Case key
- 89677
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed and his delayed application of engine power while on short final which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he kept the airspeed to a minimum while on short final because he intended to conduct a short field landing. He reported that as the tailwheel equipped airplane cleared the trees on the approach end of the runway, a "significant sink rate" developed. The pilot applied power, but it was insufficient to arrest the descent rate. The airplane landed hard on the main wheels and the propeller impacted the grass runway. The airplane nosed over during the landing roll which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall and empennage. The pilot reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the airplane before the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he kept the airspeed to a minimum while on short final because he intended to conduct a short field landing. He reported that as the tailwheel equipped airplane cleared the trees on the approach end of the runway, a "significant sink rate" developed. The pilot applied power, but it was insufficient to arrest the descent rate. The airplane landed hard on the main wheels and the propeller impacted the grass runway. The airplane nosed over during the landing roll which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall and empennage. The pilot reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the airplane before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N76097
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10494
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 3,232
- Engine
- Cont Motor C85 SERIES, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kepner Charles M
- Registered owner
- Kepner Charles M
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 10, 2013
- Departed
- IKW · Midland, MI
- Destination
- MOP · Mount Pleasant, MI
- Airport
- N/A · Private, runway 270, 3,500 × 75 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- September 3, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 188 total · 188 in this make and model · 139 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- IKW, 3 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 8, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.