- Date
- June 30, 1991, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N89209Cessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910630025009A
- Case key
- 36947
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 an engine exhaust valve, which resulted in a loss of engine power and a forced landing on unsuitable terrain.
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
N89209 was cruising, when the pilot 'heard a pop, then rattle from the engine.' The pilot said, '[I] was going to try to make [an] airport...[I] throttled up...[the engine] vibrated and knocked too hard.' The pilot landed in a field and the airplane struck a ditch. An examination of the engine revealed a broken number 3 exhaust valve. A metallurgical examination of the valve revealed the failure was the result of progressive fatigue, not instantaneous overload.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89209
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8229
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Edward J. Foody
- Registered owner
- Edward J. Foody
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
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
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 668 total · 530 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 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.