Cessna 140A N9497A
21 June 2012 · Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 21 June 2012 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 140A registered N9497A was involved in an accident near Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Walnut Ridge Regional Airport (KARG)
- Coordinates
- 36.1247, -90.9250
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140A
- Registration
- N9497A
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Walnut Ridge → Walnut Ridge
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN12LA386
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control after encountering a whirlwind or dust-devil during the landing flare.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings when the accident occurred. The pilot stated that the tailwheel-equipped airplane encountered an "abrupt gust of wind" during the landing flare that lifted the tail, placing the airplane into a nose-low attitude. The airplane subsequently impacted the runway and nosed over onto its back. The pilot noted that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The pilot reported that during the accident flight he saw several "dust devils" or “whirlwinds” in the agricultural fields surrounding the airport and attributed the wind gust encountered during the landing flare to one of those events. A postaccident review of the available wind data revealed the prevailing wind was from the south at 11 knots, which resulted in a left quartering crosswind of about 7 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 140 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Mar 2012 | Cessna 140A | Mooresville, North Carolina, United States | Gross Thomas E | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2012 | Cessna 140 | Spearfish, South Dakota, United States | Bowen Bruce C | No injuries | - |
| 2 Nov 2012 | Cessna 140 | Watsonville, California, United States | Russell Ellingworth | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 2013 | Cessna 140 | Lancaster, South Carolina, United States | Wiese Jerry W | No injuries | - |
| 26 Feb 2011 | Cessna 140A | Newark, California, United States | Morris Kenneth E | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 2013 | Cessna 140 | Minot, North Dakota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,576 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jul 2012 | Cessna 177B | Lakeview, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 2012 | Moody-Siple A | Stuttgart, Arkansas, United States | Broadbent E RAY II | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 2012 | Grumman G164 | Higginson, Arkansas, United States | J P Freppon Flying Service, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 1 Dec 2012 | American Champion 8KCAB | Melbourne, Arkansas, United States | Christine Dawe | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 2012 | Mooney M20E | Marked Tree, Arkansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Dec 2012 | Mooney M20E | Gurdon, Arkansas, United States | Roy Ricketts | No injuries | - |