- Date
- October 11, 2010, 08:05 local (12:05 UTC)
- Place
- Falls Village, CT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N89603Cessna 120
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20101011047249A
- Case key
- 77535
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 abort the takeoff, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain.
Findings · 2
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 stated that he was repositioning the tail-wheeled airplane from a 720-foot grass strip to an airport for maintenance. He computed a takeoff distance of 450 feet and completed two practice takeoff runs to verify that the airplane was able to take off from the short runway. During the practice runs, with the airplane about 400 feet down the runway at an airspeed of 50 knots, the tail would rise normally and the pilot would abort the takeoff. During the accident takeoff roll, about 400 feet down the strip, the airplane encountered a dip in the terrain and briefly became airborne. The airplane settled back onto the runway and the pilot continued the takeoff, rotating airborne about 100 feet prior to a cornfield off the departure end of the runway. The pilot attempted to gain altitude, but the airplane struck corn stalks and descended into terrain. During the accident sequence that airplane incurred substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and engine firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was repositioning the tail-wheeled airplane from a 720-foot grass strip to an airport for maintenance. He computed a takeoff distance of 450 feet and completed two practice takeoff runs to verify that the airplane was able to take off from the short runway. During the practice runs, about 400 feet down the runway, when the airspeed indicated 50 knots, the tail "came up normal" and the pilot aborted the takeoff. About 400 feet into the accident takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a "dip," briefly became airborne, then settled back onto the runway. The pilot continued the takeoff, and rotated the airplane 100 feet prior to a cornfield off the departure end of the runway. The pilot attempted to gain altitude, but the airplane struck corn stalks and descended into terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and engine firewall. The pilot reported there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The winds reported at an airport 30 miles to the north of the accident location were calm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89603
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8650
- Airframe hours
- 1,319
- Engine
- Cont Motor C85 SERIES, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Willie Simon
- Registered owner
- Willie Simon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 22, 1983
- Departed
- NONE · Falls Village, CT
- Destination
- GBR · Great Barringto, MA
- Airport
- NONE · Private Grass Strip, runway 18, 720 × 20 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 23, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 28,400 total · 12 in this make and model · 24,500 as pilot in command · 175 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.78 inHg
- Observed at
- PSF, 30 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 21, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.