Cessna 140 N72339

Summary

On 30 October 2017 at about 18:50 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N72339 was involved in an accident near Port Townsend, Washington, United States. One person was 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.

Date

30 October 2017 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Port Townsend, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Port Townsend Intl Airport (0S9)

Coordinates

48.0497, -122.7967

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N72339

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Port Townsend → Port Townsend

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18LA020

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection; at that time, the fuel tanks contained 12 gallons of fuel total, with 7 gallons in the left tank and 5 gallons in the right tank. The pilot then departed to practice touch-and-go landings with the fuel selector in the right tank position. During the fourth takeoff about 300 ft above ground level, the engine suddenly stopped developing power. With little time to restore power, the pilot pitched the airplane down slightly, then switched to the left tank, but was unable to restore power. He then switched back to the right tank but was again unable to restore power. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing; the airplane impacted a stand of trees before coming to rest on its left side. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and left wing. The left fuel tank was breached during the accident sequence and no fuel was observed in the tank. The right fuel tank, which had not been breached, contained about 1 ½ gallons of aviation fuel. The airplane's operations manual does not list an unusable fuel amount. A postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.