Cessna 120 accident near Trenton, Maine, January 25, 2001
On January 25, 2001 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N3070N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trenton, Maine (Bar Harbor 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 improper touchdown in the snow after the airplane became prematurely airborne during an attempted takeoff. A factor was the pilot's inadequate training.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2001 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Trenton, Maine · Bar Harbor 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
- N3070N · registry record · serial 13328
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said the purpose of the flight was to practice takeoffs and landings in the snow. The landing gear was a tailwheel configuration equipped with skis. During the takeoff, the airplane lifted off prematurely after crossing a small berm. The airplane descended back down onto the snow, the left ski submerged under the surface, the left wing tip and the propeller struck the snow, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported 130 hours of total flight experience, of which, 30 hours were in make and model and 12 hours were on skis. The pilot said he had no formal instruction in ski-equipped airplanes, and that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 130 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 90 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 20, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,808 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 27, 2000; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHB Trenton ME at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,364 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from BHB
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.