Cessna 120 N77116

Summary

On 24 February 2017 at about 20:20 local time, a Cessna 120 registered N77116 was involved in an accident near Orange, 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

24 February 2017 at 20:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Orange, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Orange Muni (ORE)

Coordinates

42.5717, -72.2894

Aircraft

Cessna 120

Registration

N77116

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

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

GAA17CA156

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose-over.

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

Read the full NTSB 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 preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.