DEN99LA088

Factual narrative

On May 28, 1999, approximately 1105 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 140, N89586, registered to and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during takeoff at Four Corners Regional Airport, Farmington, New Mexico. The student pilot, the sole occupant aboard, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight was originating when the accident occurred. According to the pilot, he raised the tail for takeoff at an indicated airspeed of 35 mph. The nose of the airplane pulled to the right and he over corrected with left rudder. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck the 5,000 foot marker. The right main landing gear buckled and the right wing contacted the ground, causing substantial wing damage. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and found no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. At the time of the accident the wind was variable at 5 knots. Although the pilot reported he had accumulated 73 hours total flight time, 40 hours of which were in the Cessna 140, he had acquired only 3 hours of pilot in command time, all of which were in the airplane make and model. The pilot said he raised the tail for takeoff at an indicated airspeed of 35 mph. The nose of the airplane pulled to the right and he over corrected with left rudder. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck the 5,000 foot marker. The right main landing gear buckled and the right wing contacted the ground, causing substantial wing damage. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and found no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. At the time of the accident the wind was variable at 5 knots. Although the pilot reported he had accumulated 73 hours total flight time, 40 hours of which were in the Cessna 140, he had acquired only 3 hours of pilot in command time, all of which were in the airplane make and model. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12