- Date
- April 8, 1987, 11:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Eldon, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2559NCessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 34380
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
According to the pilot, winds were light prior to the final approach, but a gust of wind picked up the right wing and the aircraft ballooned during the flare, running out of airspeed while in a full-stall/three-point attitude. Upon impact, both main gears broke in rapid succession, generally about the mid-strut step mount area of the leaf spring gear assembly. The aircraft skidded to a stop damaging the propeller and the right wing tip. A detailed visual inspection of the aircraft's landing gear revealed the damage to be a brittle fracture, just below the step mounts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2559N
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12815
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Larry Waddell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 10, 1987 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- 3WE · St.Louis, MO
- Destination
- H79 · Eldon, MO
- Airport
- H79 · Eldon Model Airpark, runway 18, 3,175 × 45 ft, asphalt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 101 total · 12 in this make and model · 80 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JEF, 25 nm away
Other investigations on N2559N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.