# Accident 19970430007179A: Cessna 140, Palo Alto, CA, April 30, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 30, 1997, 16:20 local time
- Place: Palo Alto, CA
- Airport: Palo Alto Airport-Santa Clara Cou
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.4499° N, 122.1006° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.4499&lon=-122.1006&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2031N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2031N-2013-08-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 140 (registry code 2071602, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-290 series (registry code 41506, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 140
- Reported engine: LYC O290
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,400 total, 1,400 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97LA171](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA171) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970430007179A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO LOSE POWER ON TAKEOFF, TURNED RIGHT, CRASHED INTO A GRASSY AREA OFF RIGHT SIDE OF RUNWAY. (.4)THE PILOT, WHO WAS THE OWNER/OPERATOR OF THE AIRPLANE, APPLIED ENGINE POWER FOR TAKEOFF, AND THE AIRPLANE ACCELERATED AND CLIMBED APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. SUDDENLY, THE AIRPLANE BANKED RIGHT, AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE LEFT WING BY APPLYING OPPOSITE AILERON. HIS EFFORTS WERE INADEQUATE. HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AS THE NOSE PITCHED DOWN, AND THE AIRPLANE CRASHED. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST IN AN OPEN DIRT FIELD ABOUT 150 FEET FROM THE RUNWAY'S EDGE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURES WERE EXPERIENCED DURING THE FLIGHT. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED IT HAD BEEN MODIFIED BY THE ADDITION OF FUEL TANKS WHICH INCREASED THE TOTAL FUEL TANK CAPACITY FROM 25 GALLONS (STANDARD) TO ABOUT 60 GALLONS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THIS MODIFICATION, WHICH WAS PERFORMED UNDER HIS DIRECTION, HAD INCREASED THE AIRPLANE'S STALL SPEED BY 6 MPH. THE FAA HAD NOT APPROVED THE MODIFICATION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX97LA171](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA171), Apr 30, 1997: Cessna 140 (N2031N), Palo Alto, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to obtain and/or maintain adequate airspeed during initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain. A factor relating to the…

## Other reports on N2031N (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19760427012599A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19760427012599A), Apr 27, 1976: Cessna 140 (N2031N), Dana Point, CA, Substantial damage. Number one connecting rod failed.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.