Cessna 140 N72438

Summary

On 29 June 1996 at about 21:05 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N72438 was involved in an accident near Jacksboro, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 June 1996 at 21:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Jacksboro, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

36.3301, -84.1910

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N72438

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Butler → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL96LA097

Nobody was injured.

loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s), which resutled in a forced landing and subsequent in-flight collision with trees and the terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he crossed over the airport at about 200 to 400 feet in preparation for landing. The engine started to sputter and lose power. The pilot verified the fuel selector was positioned to the right fuel tank since the left fuel tank was empty. (Before descending, he noted that the fuel gauge indicated that the right tank was 1/4 to 1/2 full.) The pilot also checked to ensure the carburetor heat was in, and that the magnetos were on both. The engine, however, continued to sputter. The pilot selected an open field for an emergency landing area, but was unable to reach the open field. The airplane collided with trees on final approach and crashed. The pilot reported that after the accident, 'The fire department put a bucket under the wing to catch leaking fuel and recovered 2-2.5 gallons, but fuel had been leaking for 40-60 minutes before they did this.' The pilot reported that he had 'topped off' the tanks before flight and had only flown about 2 hours and 45 minutes when the engine lost power. He also reported that the airplane should have flown at least 3.5 hours after being fully serviced. The engine assembly was removed and placed in an engine test stand. The engine started and developed power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.