- Date
- January 9, 1989, 11:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Audubon, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N89867Cessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890109000779A
- Case key
- 34744
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 failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane. Contributing to the accident were the crosswind 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
While on solo cross country training flight, the student pilot said he attempted to land the tailwheel acft on runway 14 with a right crosswind in excess of 20 knots. During the landing flare, he felt he was losing directional control and elected to go-around. Shortly after that he lost directional control and drifted to the left striking a tree, then the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89867
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8912
- Airframe hours
- 2,815
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Never Home Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1988 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- Y76 · Des Moines, IA
- Destination
- ADU · Audubon, IA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ADU · Audubon, runway 14, 3,000 × 60 ft, concrete
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 40 total · 40 in this make and model · 18 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DSM, 75 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.