- Date
- November 29, 1991, 14:10 local (20:10 UTC)
- Place
- Las Cruces, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1906NCessna 120
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911129053669A
- Case key
- 18411
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 directional control. A factor was the tailwind.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was practicing landings and on the fourth landing she attempted a wheel landing. As she slowed down during the landing roll, directional control became difficult. The slower the speed, the less efficient the rudder became, so the pilot used brakes to steer the airplane. The combination of brakes and tailwind resulted in the airplane nosing over to the inverted position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1906N
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12150
- Engine
- Continental C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Marvin D. Jones
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1991 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- LRU
- Airport
- LRU · Las Cruces, runway 8, 5,800 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 930 total · 38 in this make and model · 420 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 30 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.