Cessna 140 accident near Kokomo, Indiana, February 28, 2022
On February 28, 2022, a 1946 Cessna 140, registered N72831, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Kokomo, Indiana (Glenndale airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to perform the takeoff on the soft, wet, turf runway, with the tailwheel equipped airplane, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2022
- Place
- Kokomo, Indiana · Glenndale · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140, built 1946 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N72831 · registry record · serial 10017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after landing the tailwheel equipped airplane on the turf airstrip, local residents advised him of soft spots in the runway surface due to recently melted snow. The pilot said that he walked the areas and taxied on the taxiway and turf runway without any issues. He taxied to the end of the runway and prepared for takeoff, which included choosing a takeoff path that appeared dryer. About 450 ft into the takeoff roll, the airplane encountered a soft spot on the runway which slowed the airplane, raised the tail, and the airplane “jerked” to one side. The left wing struck the ground and the airplane then nosed over. When asked if any mechanical problems with the airplane existed prior to the accident the pilot replied that there were none and that the airplane just sunk into the soft turf during the takeoff. The airplane incurred substantial damage to the engine mount, right wing, and right wing strut.
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
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet surface › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,840 hours in all; 1,353 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,745 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 11, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,147 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,460 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85 (piston); 5,085 hours total
The flight
- Destination: GUS Peru IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,048 ft by 110 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from KOKK, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KOKK 272356Z AUTO 28007KT 10SM CLR 02/M02 A3022 RMK AO2 SLP243 6//// T00171017 10044 20017 53008 FZRANO PNO $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 22, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record of Conversation with Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.