NTSB ERA25LA304 — 2025-08-08 · Rangeley, Maine, United States

Current FAA registration · N89351

Make / Model: CESSNA 140
Engine: CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES (85 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19560625
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S AC539A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N89351 Cessna 140 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and subsequent nose over.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot stated that while landing, the airplane bounced hard upon touchdown. After the bounce, the airplane veered off the side of the runway into the grass. The pilot tried to gain altitude but was unable, so he "cut" the engine. The airplane hit a bump and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, forward fuselage, tail and engine mount. The pilot did not report any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ERA25LA304.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers