- Date
- May 17, 1989, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Linden, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4240NCessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890517012429A
- Case key
- 14354
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 pilot's poor judgement, poor aircraft handling, and the resultant hard touchdown.
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
While on a local pleasure flight, the non-certificated pilot was observed to make a hard landing on a sod runway. When the aircraft came to a stop, the pilot shut it down and performed a walk-around inspection of the aircraft. The pilot was then observed to restart the aircraft and take off, returning to the aircraft's home base airport. Witnesses reported that the aircraft's 'tail wheel was vibrating enough to see and hear it...the plane (flew) cockeyed.' The aircraft sustained further damage when it ground-looped upon landing at the home base.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4240N
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13711
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Anderson, Earl J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 6, 1987
- Departed
- 45G · Brighton, MI
- Destination
- 9G2 · Linden, MI
- Airport
- 9G2 · Linden Prices Airport, runway 36, 2,600 × 90 ft, grass/turf
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
- 55
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,360 total · 20 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.