- Date
- February 28, 2004, 11:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Red Bluff, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3029NCessna 120
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040228004039A
- Case key
- 58850
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 inadequate compensation for the wind condition and failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll on a narrow runway. A contributing factor were the gusty tailwind conditions.
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 airplane came to rest inverted after a loss of directional control while landing on a private runway about 20 feet wide. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a quartering tailwind. The airplane veered off to the left of the runway, and despite rudder inputs, the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane continued off the runway and encountered soft, muddy terrain, resulting in the landing gear sinking in. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On February 28, 2004, about 1130 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 120, N3029N, came to rest inverted after a loss of directional control on landing at a private strip near Red Bluff, California. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local area flight departed from Red Bluff Municipal Airport (RBL), with a planned destination of the private field. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that he was attempting to land on a private runway about 20 feet wide. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a quartering tailwind. The airplane veered off to the left of the runway, and despite rudder inputs, the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane continued off the runway and encountered soft, muddy terrain, resulting in the landing gear sinking in. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane incurred damage to the wing strut, vertical stabilizer, cowling, and wings.
The pilot reported that the winds at the time of the accident were calm, with sudden gusts. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3029N
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13287
- Engine
- Continental C85 Series, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Don Brand
- Registered owner
- Jason Brand
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RBL · Red Bluff, CA
- Destination
- Red Bluff, CA
- Airport
- NONE · Squirrel Acres, runway 18
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
- 53
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 55 in this make and model · 55 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.