Cessna 120 N89809

Summary

On 17 December 2011 at about 15:30 local time, a Cessna 120 registered N89809, operated by Roske John L, was involved in an accident near Montague, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 December 2011 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Montague, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Turners Falls Airport (0B5)

Coordinates

42.5917, -72.5231

Aircraft

Cessna 120

Registration

N89809

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Roske John L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montague → Orange

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA118

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's delay in performing a rejected takeoff after experiencing an intermittent loss of engine power, which resulted in a runway excursion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll, as the airplane accelerated to 40 mph, the engine sputtered, and he reduced power with sufficient runway remaining to stop; however, the sputtering ceased, and he then added power to continue the takeoff attempt. The engine sputtered a second time, and the pilot reduced engine power again. At that point, he was concerned about the length of runway remaining and elected to steer off the left side of the runway, rather than risk going off the end of the runway and down into a ditch. As the airplane departed the left side of the runway, it struck a runway sign and sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage and empennage. The pilot subsequently defueled and moved the airplane before it could be examined. Therefore, it was not possible to verify the fuel quantity or determine if any fuel contamination was present. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures. The pilot reported that he should have aborted the takeoff earlier.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.