Cessna 140 N1978N

Summary

On 5 May 1984 at about 03:40 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N1978N, operated by Roland W. Coulson, was involved in an accident near Lovelock, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

5 May 1984 at 03:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Lovelock, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Lovelock Air Park

Coordinates

40.3207, -118.1994

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N1978N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Roland W. Coulson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winnemucca → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

SEA84FA102

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT HAD ORIGINALLY REQUESTED A WX BRIEFING AT 0444 FOR A FLT FROM CHEYENNE,WY TO LOVERLOCK,NV. PRIOR TO DEPARTING CHEYENNE AT 0630, THE FBO TOLD THE PLT THAT THE LOVELOCK ARPT WAS FLOODED. THE PLT REPLIED HE WOULD LAND AT A STRIP IN TOWN. FUEL RECEIPTS SHOWED THE ACFT WAS REFUELED ON 5/4/84 AT RAWLINGS, WY; EVANSTON, WY; WENDOVER, UT; & WINNEMUCCA, NV. AT ABOUT 2030, THE OWNER OF THE PRIVATE STRIP HEARD THE ACFT FLY OVER & TURNED ON A RED BEACON ATOP HIS RESIDENCE. HE OBSERVED THE ACFT PASS OVER THE STRIP AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL, PROCEEDING EAST, WITH SOUNDS OF REDUCED POWER. HE SAW THE LIGHTS OF THE ACFT INITIATE AN APPARENT LEFT TURN, THEN PLUNGE TO THE GROUND. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A STEEP DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND. A TOXICOLOGICAL TEST OF THE PLT'S BLOOD REVEALED ONLY A LOW LEVEL OF CARBON MONOXIDE (8%). A WITNESS ESTIMATED THAT THE WIND WAS FROM 250 DEG AT 15 GUSTING 20 KTS. THE ACFT HAD LANDED AT THIS STRIP SEVERAL WEEKS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.