N76097 – CESSNA 120 – 2014-07-16 NTSB Accident Report

On July 16, 2014, a Cessna 120 (N76097) was involved in an incident near Midland, MI. 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 maintain sufficient airspeed and his delayed application of engine power while on short final which resulted in a hard landing.

The pilot reported that he kept the airspeed to a minimum while on short final because he intended to conduct a short field landing. He reported that as the tailwheel equipped airplane cleared the trees on the approach end of the runway, a "significant sink rate" developed. The pilot applied power, but it was insufficient to arrest the descent rate. The airplane landed hard on the main wheels and the propeller impacted the grass runway. The airplane nosed over during the landing roll which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall and empennage. The pilot reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the airplane before the accident.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN14CA370. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N76097.