Cessna 120 accident near Omak, Washington, December 26, 1998
On December 26, 1998 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N120L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Omak, Washington (Omak 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-in-command's failure to maintain directional control. Contributing factors were the snow covered runway and a snowbank (berm) at the runway's edge.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1998 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Omak, Washington · Omak · cases near this 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
- N120L · registry record · serial 12858
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 95 total hour (80 hours make/model) pilot-in-command reported that upon touchdown on runway 17 at the Omak airport the aircraft bounced slightly and then touched down left of the centerline and at a slight angle. The runway surface had a thin layer of snow covering its surface and the pilot was unsuccessful in regaining directional control using brakes and rudder. The aircraft then departed the runway approximately 45 degrees from the centerline and impacted a snowbank (berm) along the runway's east edge, subsequently nosing over. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical problem with the aircraft and winds were 4 knots from 070 degrees magnetic.
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: 95 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 29 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,620 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 19, 1998; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMK at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,654 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from OMK
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N120L on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 120 660 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Omak Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,709 since 1982 · 358 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,572 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA99LA024.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.