No fatalities

24 Feb 2017: CESSNA 120 NO SERIES — Orange, MA

Orange, MA, United States

On 24 Feb 2017, a CESSNA 120 NO SERIES was involved in an aviation accident near Orange, MA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose-over. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel airplane nosed over after landing on a soft grass portion of a runway. The main wheels sank into the ground, causing the aircraft to flip forward. Substantial damage occurred to the right-wing lift strut and vertical stabilizer.

Incident Summary

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during a landing attempt on the grass portion of a runway, which ran parallel to a paved runway, the ground was soft. As the airplane touched down, the main wheels sank into the soft ground, leading to the airplane nosing over.

Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the airplane, specifically to the right-wing lift strut and the vertical stabilizer.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Causes

Capability exceededPilotDecision related to condition

Other contributing factors

Effect on operation