- Date
- February 24, 2017, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Orange, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N77116Cessna 120
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 10, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170224005459A
- Case key
- 94778
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose-over.
Findings · 7
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, while attempting to land on the "grass portion of the runway" parallel to the paved runway, the ground was soft. Subsequently, the main wheels sunk into the ground, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its right-wing lift strut and vertical stabilizer. 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 while attempting to land on the "grass portion of the runway", parallel to the paved runway, the ground was soft. Subsequently, the main wheels sunk into the ground and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its right-wing lift strut and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N77116
- Reported as
- Cessna 120 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11574
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 5,466
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2016
- Departed
- 0B5 · Montague, MA
- Destination
- ORE · Orange, MA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ORE · Orange Muni, runway 19, 4,999 × 75 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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 21, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 140 in this make and model · 1,700 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 10 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- KORE
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 28, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 938 KB 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.