Cessna 120 accident near New Roads, Louisiana, July 31, 2005
On July 31, 2005 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N1703N, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Roads, Louisiana (False River Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2005 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Roads, Louisiana · False River Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N1703N · registry record · serial 11947
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After the 5,883-hour commercial pilot touched down, at about 45-50 miles per hour (MPH) on Runway 36 (a 5,002-foot by 75-foot asphalt runway), the airplane started an uncomanded slow right turn. The pilot corrected with left rudder and the airplane responded left back towards the runway centerline. When a small amount of right rudder pedal did not arrest the now left turn, the pilot applied full right rudder pedal to no avail. The left turn continued until the airplane was perpendicular with the runway centerline and began to "hop" on the right main landing gear. On the third "hop" the right main landing gear collapsed, the windscreen broke out, and the right wing tip contacted the edge of the runway. After turning approximately 150 degrees the airplane came to rest in an upright position halfway over the edge of the runway. No anomalies were found with the flight controls, rudder system, or tail-wheel of the airplane. The closest weather reporting facility, located 20 nautical miles southeast from the site of the accident, was reporting no wind seven minutes before the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,883 hours in all; 35 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental C85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GDJ Granbury TX
- Destination: HZR New Roads LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,002 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from BTR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.