- Date
- May 9, 2003, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Suffolk, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N72942Cessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 5, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20030509017649A
- Case key
- 56962
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 misjudgment of his altitude from the wheat field during the execution of a go-around.
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 of the airplane was en route to his home airport when he elected to perform a simulated forced landing over a wheat field. The pilot reported that he reduced power and added carburetor heat. He brought the airplane down to an altitude where the wheels were just above the top of the wheat field, and then he added power for a go-around. The pilot reported that he misjudged his altitude during the go-around, and the wheels made contact with the top of the wheat. The airplane decelerated, sank into the wheat, and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that there were no problems with the engine when he added power for the go-around.
Factual narrative
On May 9, 2003, about 1430 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 140, N72942, was substantially damaged during a go-around from a simulated forced landing in Suffolk, Virginia. The certificated airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot reported that he departed his home base, Franklin Municipal-John Beverley Rose Airport (FKN), Franklin, Virginia, and flew to Hampton Roads Executive Airport (PVG), Norfolk, Virginia, for maintenance. After the maintenance was completed, he flew to Suffolk Municipal Airport (SQF), Suffolk, Virginia, where he performed three touch and go landings, after which he planned to return to Franklin. En route to Franklin, he saw a large wheat field, and elected to perform a practice approach, simulating a forced landing.
The pilot reported that he retarded the power, added carburetor heat, and left the wing flaps retracted. He brought the airplane down to an altitude where the wheels were just above the top of the wheat field. He further stated:
"...[that he] misjudged altitude on go around. AC [aircraft] contacted wheat and nosed over...."
The pilot reported that as he contacted, the wheat, the airplane decelerated, and continued to sink further into the wheat. The pilot reported that there were no problems with the engine when he added power for the go-around.
According to an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the vertical stabilizer and rudder were bent. In addition, the right wing and right wing strut were also bent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72942
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10140
- Airframe hours
- 3,269
- Engine
- Continental C 85- 12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David M Miller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2002 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- PVG · Hampton Roads, VA
- Destination
- FKN · Franklin, VA
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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial, Private, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- March 7, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,000 total · 100 in this make and model · 8,550 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 48 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- SFQ, 4 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.