- Date
- April 20, 2020, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hamburg, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N150LFCessna 150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200420001129A
- Case key
- 101189
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 improper decision to land on unsuitable terrain, which resulted in a nose-over.
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, after completing the landing roll on a grassy area adjacent to an asphalt runway, the main landing gear dug into an area of soft grass, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, upon completion of the landing roll on a grass area adjacent to an asphalt runway, the main landing gear dug into an area of soft grass and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N150LF
- Reported as
- Cessna 150 (L)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15073579
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 5,640
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- KCG Aviation Llc
- Registered owner
- KCG Aviation Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 8, 2019
- Departed
- SLK · Saranac Lake, NY
- Destination
- 4G2 · Hamburg, NY
- Airport
- 4G2 · Hamburg Inc, runway 01, 2,465 × 30 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 23, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 448 total · 261 in this make and model · 358 as pilot in command · 46.7 in the last 90 days · 6.4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.71 inHg
- Observed at
- BUF, 16 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 15, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.