Cessna 140 accident near Mason, Michigan, November 25, 2024
On November 25, 2024 at about 10:36 pm local time, a 1946 Cessna 140, registered N76061, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mason, Michigan (Mason Jewett Field Airport). It was an instructional 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 failure to maintain aircraft control during landing rollout that resulted in a nose over and an impact with the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 2024 · about 10:36 pm local time
- Place
- Mason, Michigan · Mason Jewett Field Airport · 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
- N76061 · no longer on the register · serial 10455
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was receiving flight instruction from the flight instructor towards a tailwheel endorsement at the time of the accident. The pilot completed several flight maneuvers with the flight instructor before returning to the departure airport where they practiced landings. During these landings, the airplane ended up about 10-15 ft left of the runway centerline before stopping. During the last landing, the pilot flew a stabilized approach with full flaps, at an airspeed of 60 mph, and a descent rate of 300 ft/min. The airplane touched down on its main landing gear and during rollout the pilot placed aileron control input into the wind. The pilot applied corrective rudder control input when the airplane began to drift left of the runway centerline, but the airplane continued to drift left. The pilot did not remember if he applied brakes during the beginning of the landing rollout but applied brakes to prevent the airplane from going off the runway. The flight instructor stated the pilot applied full braking, and the airplane nosed over on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and left wing. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 9,500 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 28, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 692 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days; 63 in the last 30 days; 600 as pilot in command; 322 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 16, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,335 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Great Lakes Air Ventures LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 4,002 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 99°F (37°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from TEW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 21, 2025. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilots' Statement | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | 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.