# NTSB WPR27LA023: Cessna 120, N89885, Death Valley, CA, October 24, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Investigation open
- Date: October 24, 2026, 14:25 local (21:25 UTC)
- Place: Death Valley, CA
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096)
- Highest injury: Minor injuries
- Injuries: 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- NTSB case key (mKey): 204078
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR27LA023
- Latest NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/204078/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR27LA023

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 120, 21 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md?model=2071402), [All aircraft, 2,289 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N89885](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N89885), registered now, S/N 8930, built 1946 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 120
- Registry model: [Cessna 120](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-120) (registry code 2071402) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Continental C85 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c85-series) (registry code 17008, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Flight: Part 91

## Other investigations on N89885 (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX95LA054](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX95LA054), Dec 19, 1994: Cessna 120 (N89885), Torrance, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: A blockage in the carburetor heat air duct which limited the effectiveness of the system's ability to prevent the formation of carburetor ice and resulted in a loss of power. A factor in the accident…

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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