Cessna 140 N76456

Summary

On 2 June 2009 at about 23:20 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N76456, operated by Richard L. Fiser, was involved in an accident near St. Louis, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 June 2009 at 23:20

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Creve Coeur Airport (1H0)

Coordinates

38.7267, -90.5083

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N76456

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Richard L. Fiser

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Louis → St. Louis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09LA335

Nobody was injured.

The improper installation of the wing fairing during recent maintenance, which resulted in the partial separation of the fairing shortly after takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident occurred during the second flight since the airplane had undergone maintenance on the left flap assembly. The pilot reported hearing a loud bang shortly after liftoff, which was followed by repeated banging from behind his position. He performed an immediate landing, touching down with about 50 feet of runway remaining. The airplane overran the end of the runway and nosed over in a wheat field. A post-accident inspection revealed that the upper half of the left inboard wing fairing was bent upward and aft. The one-piece fairing was properly secured to the lower wing structure, but none of the five upper screws were located. The fairing upper screw holes did not exhibit any damage. This lack of damage was not consistent with a progressive loss of the upper screws during flight. The fairing had been removed during the recent flap maintenance. According to the mechanic who performed the maintenance, the fairing was reinstalled in the presence of several individuals, including the pilot, and that all of the screws were installed before he returned the airplane to service. According to the pilot, during his preflight inspection he visually confirmed that the screws were installed, although he did not verify their security.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.