- Date
- August 17, 2007, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grant, NE
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N89492Cessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070817018229A
- Case key
- 66535
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The directional control not obtained/maintained by the pilot during landing. Contributing factors were the crosswind, gust, and ditch.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane received substantial damage on impact with a ditch during landing when the airplane veered off runway 15 (4,800 feet by 60 feet, concrete). The pilot stated that about 50 feet above the runway, the controls would repeatedly go from firm to mushy. At touchdown, the controls went mushy and a gust of wind hit the side of the airplane which then windmilled the airplane into the wind. The pilot reportedly was able to straighten the airplane, but the rear of the airplane fishtailed 2 or 3 times before departing off the east side of the runway. The airplane then traveled about 30 feet and impacted a ditch.
Factual narrative
On August 17, 2007, at 1600 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 140, N89492, piloted by a private pilot, received substantial damage on impact with a ditch during landing when the airplane veered off runway 15 (4,800 feet by 60 feet, concrete) at Grant Municipal Airport (GGF), Grant, Nebraska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and passenger were uninjured. The local flight originated from GGF at 1550 mountain daylight time.
The pilot stated about 50 feet above the runway, the controls would repeatedly go from firm to mushy. At touchdown, the controls went mushy and a gust of wind hit the side of the airplane which then windmilled the airplane into the wind. The pilot reportedly was able to straighten the airplane but the rear of the airplane fishtailed 2 or 3 time before departing off the east side of the runway. The airplane then traveled about 30 feet and impacted a ditch.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89492
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8524
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Malmkar LTD
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- GGF · Grant, NE
- Destination
- GGF
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 85 total · 19 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.