N89603 – CESSNA 120 – 2010-10-11 NTSB Accident Report

On October 11, 2010, a Cessna 120 (N89603) was involved in an incident near Falls Village, CT. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot’s failure to abort the takeoff, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain.

According to the pilot, he was repositioning the tail-wheeled airplane from a 720-foot grass strip to an airport for maintenance. He computed a takeoff distance of 450 feet and completed two practice takeoff runs to verify that the airplane was able to take off from the short runway. During the practice runs, about 400 feet down the runway, when the airspeed indicated 50 knots, the tail "came up normal" and the pilot aborted the takeoff. About 400 feet into the accident takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a "dip," briefly became airborne, then settled back onto the runway. The pilot continued the takeoff, and rotated the airplane 100 feet prior to a cornfield off the departure end of the runway.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA11CA017. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N89603.