- Date
- November 4, 2007, 19:00 local (Nov 5, 2007, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Poultney, VT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N89120Cessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20071105831699A
- Case key
- 67073
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 attempt to land on an unimproved airstrip resulting in a ground loop/swerve. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's poor judgement in attempting to land on an unsuitable runway and the unsuitable runway conditions.
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 pilot told an FAA inspector that he was constructing a runway on his property and was anxious to "try it out." When the airplane landed, the right wheel struck a rock and the airplane ground looped to the right. The pilot tried to recover and the airplane ground looped to the left. It eventually went down into a ditch. Both wings were crushed and the engine was pushed back into the cockpit. The FAA inspector said the runway was in no condition to accommodate aircraft.
Factual narrative
The pilot told an FAA inspector he was constructing a runway on his property and was anxious to "try it out." When the airplane landed, the right wheel struck a rock and the airplane ground looped to the right. The pilot tried to recover and the airplane ground looped to the left. It eventually went down into a ditch. Both wings were crushed and the engine was pushed back into the cockpit. The FAA inspector said the runway was in no condition to accommodate aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89120
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8128
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard G. Coltey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- DDH · Bennington, VT
- Destination
- NONE · Poultney, VT
- Airport
- NONE · Coltey
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 450 total · 450 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.