No fatalities

6 Sep 2010: CESSNA 140 — Levant, ME

Levant, ME, United States

On 6 Sep 2010, a CESSNA 140 was involved in an aviation accident near Levant, ME. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to obtain adequate airspeed during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A witness reported that an airplane touched down over halfway on a 2,300-foot grass runway, then transitioned to takeoff, wavered, and struck the left wing on the ground, causing substantial damage. The pilot did not recall the events and reported no mechanical failures.

Accident Summary

According to a witness, the accident airplane touched down over halfway down the up-sloped, 2,300-foot grass runway 27. The airplane then transitioned to a takeoff. During the climb, the airplane "wavered left and right" before the left wing struck the ground. Substantial damage was sustained to the fuselage, left wing, firewall, and elevator.

Pilot Statement

The pilot stated that he could not recall the events that transpired during the accident sequence. He did not report that there were any mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane.

Aircraft Information

A review of the accident airplane's information manual revealed that, under the conditions that existed at the time of the accident, the landing and takeoff distance required was approximately 900 feet. This distance was based on the use of a "hard surface, level runway."

Weather Conditions

The winds reported at an airport 11 miles to the southeast of the accident location were from 290 degrees at 10 knots.

Contributing factors

Airspeed — Not attained/maintainedPilot