Cessna 140 N2509N

Summary

On 28 September 2022 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N2509N, operated by Pearce Cedric J, was involved in an accident near Winterville, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

28 September 2022 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Winterville, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

South Oaks Aerodrome (05N)

Coordinates

35.4822, -77.3558

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N2509N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Pearce Cedric J

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA432

2 people had minor injuries.

The student pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing. A factor in the accident was the instructor’s delayed remedial action which resulted in an inability to recover the airplane from an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the flight instructor, the student pilot was high on the approach but he allowed her to continue as he determined the landing was achievable based on visual references and cues. The student performed the landing flare, the airplane “hit hard and bounced quite high,” and the airplane pitched nose up to about a 45-degree angle. The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane, pushed the nose downward and applied full engine power to recover from the “imminent stall.” The flight instructor explained that the airplane lacked the power, airspeed, and altitude to outclimb the trees to its front and continued to fly the airplane “right at stall speed” until it settled into an area of small trees and heavy brush beyond the departure end of the landing runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and wings, and minor injuries to the occupants.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.