Cessna 140 accident near Harrisonburg, Virginia, May 19, 1984
On May 19, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N72115, was substantially damaged in an accident near Harrisonburg, Virginia (Shenandoah Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Harrisonburg, Virginia · Shenandoah Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N72115 · registry record · serial 9280
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT'S LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT FAILED DURING A LANDG. A MECHANIC, WHO EXAMINED THE ACFT, STATED THAT THE STRUT HAD A PREVIOUSLY EXISTING CRACK PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.THE STRUT FAILED AT A HOLE WHERE THE STEP WAS ATTACHED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 179 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 108 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,472 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 1983; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,540 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cambridge MD at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from SHD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.