# NTSB BFO94LA158: Cessna 140, N2150N, Ravenswood, WV, August 30, 1994 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 30, 1994, 18:25 local (22:25 UTC) - Place: Ravenswood, WV - Coordinates: 38.950881, -81.760314 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9509&lon=-81.7603&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report January 25, 1995 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 8978 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=BFO94LA158 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/8978/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO94LA158 ## Probable cause THE POORLY PLANNED APPROACH WHICH RESULTED IN UNPORTING OF FUEL FROM THE LEFT FUEL TANK AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, takeoff - initial climb - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - planned approach - poor, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with object, descent - emergency - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot was doing touch and go landings. According to the pilot, during the approach '... a slip maneuver to the left was utilized with the left fuel tank selected.' The pilot stated that the landing was uneventful and he initiated a takeoff. The pilot stated that about 100 feet above the ground, the engine lost total power. The pilot tried to restart the engine to no avail. The airplane descended into trees and came to rest on foilage about six feet above the ground. Post-accident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies. An FAA inspector reported 'He [the pilot] believes that the slip maneuver caused a interruption of the fuel flow from that [left] tank.' ## Factual narrative On August 30, 1994, at 1825 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 140, N2150N, lost total engine power during takeoff climb from the Jackson County Airport in Ravenswood, West Virginia, and collided into trees. The pilot received a serious injury and the passenger was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot reported on his Aircraft Accident Report form, "On final approach, I slipped to the left to a normal landing. I applied full power and took off. When I was about 100 feet in the air and over the end of the runway the engine suddenly quit running. I immediately pulled the carburetor heat with no effect. I pumped the throttle several times. The first two times the engine caught but did not continue to run. I then switched tanks but nothing changed. All the while I was still controlling the plane. By this time the plane had begun to contact the tops of the trees and was rapidly slowing." The airplane collided with the trees and came to rest on foliage about six feet above the ground. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector wrote in his accident report, "Pilot stated that during last approach to landing a slip maneuver to the left was utilized with the left fuel tank selected. He [the pilot] believes that the slip maneuver caused a interruption of the fuel flow from that tank." Post-accident examinations of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2150N](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2150N), registered now, S/N 12386, built 1947 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 140 - Registry model: [Cessna 140](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-140) (registry code 2071602) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C85 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c85-series) (registry code 17008, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 12386 - Airframe hours: 3102 - Engines: CONTINENTAL O-200-A 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Jackson, Warren - Registered owner: Jackson, Warren - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 22, 1994, 22 hours before - Airport: I18, Jackson County, runway 21, 4,000 × 75 ft ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 65; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 524 total, 504 in this make and model, 484 as pilot in command, 18 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 15,000 ft broken - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19940830024079A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940830024079A), Aug 30, 1994: Cessna 140, Fallbrook, CA, Substantial damage. Engine quit, aircraft crashed into trees near approach end of runway. (.4)the pilot was doing touch and go landings. According to the pilot, during the… 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. --- 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.