- Date
- June 5, 2021, 13:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Warwick, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1899NCessna 120
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing area undershoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 103222
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 attain a proper touchdown point, which resulted in the airplane contacting the ground short of the runway.
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
According to the pilot, as he descended below a tree line on final approach to land, the airplane’s descent rate rapidly increased. He attempted to stop the descent by adding power and pitching up, but the airplane contacted the ground about 10 ft before the runway’s edge, on rough, slightly rising terrain. The left main landing gear wheel collided with the ground and separated from the gear strut. The airplane nosed down and continued across the ground before coming to rest in an upright position, partially resting on the left wing. The airplane’s left wing and fuselage were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1899N
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12143
- Built
- 1947
- Airframe hours
- 4,082
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Njc120 LLC
- Registered owner
- Njc120 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 25, 2021 · 33 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- N72 · Warwick Municipal Airport, runway 21R, 2,100 × 50 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 30, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 979 total · 513 in this make and model · 894 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- KMGJ, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KMGJ 051754Z AUTO 26014G18KT 10SM CLR 31/16 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP110 T03110161 10311 20189 58015
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 31, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.0 MB in all.