CHI89LA093
1989-05-17 · LINDEN, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport 9G2
Current FAA registration · N4240N
- Make / Model
- CESSNA 140
- Year of manufacture
- 1947 · 42 years old at event
- Engine
- CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES (95 hp)
- Seats / Engines
- 2 seats · 1 engine
- ADS-B equipped
- Yes — Mode-S A50CE0
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT'S POOR JUDGEMENT, POOR AIRCRAFT HANDLING, AND THE RESULTANT HARD TOUCHDOWN.
Factual narrative
WHILE ON A LOCAL PLEASURE FLIGHT, THE NON-CERTIFICATED PILOT WAS OBSERVED TO MAKE A HARD LANDING ON A SOD RUNWAY. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP, THE PILOT SHUT IT DOWN AND PERFORMED A WALK-AROUND INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO RESTART THE AIRCRAFT AND TAKE OFF, RETURNING TO THE AIRCRAFT'S HOME BASE AIRPORT. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT'S 'TAIL WHEEL WAS VIBRATING ENOUGH TO SEE AND HEAR IT...THE PLANE (FLEW) COCKEYED.' THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED FURTHER DAMAGE WHEN IT GROUND-LOOPED UPON LANDING AT THE HOME BASE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_CHI89LA093.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Search this event elsewhere
External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type. All research papers
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