Cessna 172M N20469

Summary

On 9 September 2014 at about 12:25 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N20469 was involved in an accident near Watertown, Connecticut, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 September 2014 at 12:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Watertown, Connecticut, United States

Nearest airport

Waterbury (N41)

Coordinates

41.6183, -73.0833

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N20469

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Danbury → Waterbury

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

ERA14CA430

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's decision to takeoff from a field which resulted in a collision with trees and the ground. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to correctly identify the destination airport and runway, which resulted in an off-airport landing in the field.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was utilizing an iPad for navigation, and mistakenly landed in a field rather than his intended destination, an airport with a turf runway. After landing, he taxied the airplane to a corner of the field and commenced a takeoff roll, estimating the available takeoff distance to be about 600 feet. Just after takeoff, the left wing struck a tree and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and engine firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.