Casualties unknown

2005-07-31: Cessna 120 (N1703N) — New Roads, LA

New Roads, LA, US

On July 31, 2005, a Cessna 120 (registration N1703N) was involved in an aviation accident near New Roads, LA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.

Sourcesthe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archivePrimary reportUpdated 1781061362Data APIEditorial standards

A commercial pilot with 5,883 hours experienced an uncommanded turn during landing rollout. Despite corrective inputs, the airplane ground looped, collapsing the right main landing gear and causing runway edge contact.

Accident Sequence

After touching down at approximately 45-50 miles per hour on Runway 36, a 5,002-foot by 75-foot asphalt runway, the airplane initiated an uncommanded slow right turn. The pilot applied left rudder, which corrected the turn back toward the runway centerline. When a small amount of right rudder pedal failed to arrest the subsequent left turn, the pilot applied full right rudder pedal with no effect.

The left turn continued until the airplane became perpendicular to the runway centerline and began to "hop" on the right main landing gear. On the third hop, the right main landing gear collapsed, the windscreen broke out, and the right wing tip contacted the edge of the runway. After turning approximately 150 degrees, the airplane came to rest upright, halfway over the edge of the runway.

Examination

No anomalies were found with the flight controls, rudder system, or tail-wheel of the airplane. The nearest weather reporting facility, located 20 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, reported no wind seven minutes before the accident.

The pilot held a commercial certificate and had accumulated 5,883 hours of flight time.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20050909X01425. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.