Cessna 140 N3571V

Summary

On 6 December 2004 at about 23:50 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N3571V was involved in an accident near Spanaway, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 December 2004 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Spanaway, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Spanaway (S44)

Coordinates

47.0869, -122.4314

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N3571V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Puyallup → Spanaway

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA05LA026

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's misjudgment of distance/altitude during final approach to land which resulted in an undershoot and in flight collision with a fence. A factor was the pilot's alcohol impairment.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During final approach to land, the airplane hit a barbed wire fence located about 30 feet from the threshold. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted on the runway. The rudder, vertical stabilizer, and the left wing strut were damaged. A deputy, who responded to the scene of the accident, noted an odor of alcohol coming from the pilot. With the pilot's permission, another deputy took a blood sample, which was submitted for alcohol testing. The test result was a blood alcohol content of 0.08 g/100mL. A review of the pilot's FAA medical file revealed that his application for a medical certificate dated April 18, 2003, was denied. The application was denied due, in part, to alcohol dependence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.