Cessna 140 N2031N

Summary

On 30 April 1997 at about 23:20 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N2031N was involved in an accident near Palo Alto, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 April 1997 at 23:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Palo Alto, California, United States

Nearest airport

Palo Alto (PAO)

Coordinates

37.4499, -122.1006

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N2031N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → San Andreas

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97LA171

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's failure to obtain and/or maintain adequate airspeed during initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain. A factor relating to the accident was: the degraded climb performance due to an unauthorized modification of the airplane, which increased the airplane's maximum fuel tank capacity and stall speed.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was the owner/operator of the airplane, applied engine power for takeoff, and the airplane accelerated and climbed approximately 50 feet above the runway. Suddenly, the airplane banked right, and the pilot attempted to lower the left wing by applying opposite aileron. His efforts were inadequate. He lost control of the airplane as the nose pitched down, and the airplane crashed. The airplane came to rest in an open dirt field about 150 feet from the runway's edge. The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunction or failures were experienced during the flight. An examination of the airplane revealed it had been modified by the addition of fuel tanks which increased the total fuel tank capacity from 25 gallons (standard) to about 60 gallons. The pilot reported that this modification, which was performed under his direction, had increased the airplane's stall speed by 6 mph. The FAA had not approved the modification.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.