Cessna 172N accident near Sidney, Nebraska, August 4, 2002
On August 4, 2002 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739VN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sidney, Nebraska (Sidney Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining sufficient airspeed during the takeoff, and the inadvertent stall encountered by the pilot. The low altitude was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2002 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sidney, Nebraska · Sidney Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739VN · registry record · serial 17270842
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged when it impacted the runway during takeoff. The pilot stated that he lifted off at 65 knots airspeed and started to climb. He stated that when he had climbed to an altitude of about 50 feet above the ground, the airplane, "went into a stall [and] settled back to [the] runway striking [the] left wing." In the report, the pilot listed no mechanical failure of the airplane. No preexisting anomalies were found during a postaccident examination of the airplane.
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: 354 hours in all; 195 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 291 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 20, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,793 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 12, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNY Sidney NE at 7:00 pm
- Destination: FNL Fort Collins CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 6,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from SNY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N739VN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.