Probable cause
The pilot's excessive brake application while landing on rough terrain.
NTSB analysis
The pilot, who was on a local personal flight, decided to make an off-airport landing in an open field. Although the touchdown in the tailwheel-equipped airplane was uneventful, the pilot applied hard braking in order to minimize the landing roll on the rough terrain. As the airplane began to slow it nosed over onto its back. Both the wings and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane's systems.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR11CA447 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jul 19, 2011
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Pendleton, Oregon
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 120
- N-number
- N1705N
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.