The pilot reported he had just departed from the airport in Johnson City, Kansas, and saw a family member working in an adjacent field and decided to perform a fly-by.
While performing a low-level left turn over the field, he felt the Cessna 120’s left wing dropping toward the ground.
He immediately applied full right aileron, at which point, the left wing began dragging on the ground. The propeller subsequently impacted the ground, followed by the right wing, and the airplane slid to a stop.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage.
The pilot reported there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He added that if he had been at a higher altitude, the accident would not have happened.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper decision to fly the airplane at too low an altitude, resulting in the airplane impacting terrain.
To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.
This November 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
left wing low, applying right aileron is in effect dropping a flap at the end of the slow wing. I cringe every time I read this same scenario. It’s also almost always on a left turn when you also have P-factor pushing the nose down and to the left as you’ve applied the “brakes” on that left wing. It’s also reasonable to assume you’ve also given it full throttle
insuring good dose torque. Guess what direction that is?
The crash was kind of convenient in that he was than able to talk to the family member. At least it seemed like a good idea at the time…
You can’t fix stupid.
Next…
“He immediately applied full right aileron, at which point, the left wing began dragging on the ground.”
Pictures don’t quite match the Narrative; must be the camera angle. Would’ve liked to witness this act in slow motion…
Applying right aileron to raise the left wing is t the reason the left wing continued to drop further.
When a wing drops during a impending stall, you should use rudder to level the wings.
If you do not agree or believe other wise, please do a bit of research before commenting to this post.
An excellent video is on YouTube. During a slow flight competition at Talkeetna, Alaska a Super Cub was videotaped dragging the left wing in a stall.
Yes, he may have asked someone to hold his beer while they destroyed the airplane.
Totally right, Mr. West Charles.
Hold my beer, and watch this!
Quote, “ He added that if he had been at a higher altitude, the accident would not have happened.” I find this kind of amusing as I think this has been the cause of every accident since the beginning of flight.
Hey! Flying an airplane just like driving an old pickup, right Bubba? Right!
Just needed a bit more throttle to power through the wing drag.
What an idiot!
Brilliant! Darwin at work.
Yes. But in his case, before the evolution 😂😂😂.