Cessna 140 accident near Grant, Nebraska, August 17, 2007
On August 17, 2007 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N89492, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grant, Nebraska. 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 directional control not obtained/maintained by the pilot during landing. Contributing factors were the crosswind, gust, and ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2007 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grant, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N89492 · registry record · serial 8524
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane received substantial damage on impact with a ditch during landing when the airplane veered off runway 15 (4,800 feet by 60 feet, concrete). The pilot stated that about 50 feet above the runway, the controls would repeatedly go from firm to mushy. At touchdown, the controls went mushy and a gust of wind hit the side of the airplane which then windmilled the airplane into the wind. The pilot reportedly was able to straighten the airplane, but the rear of the airplane fishtailed 2 or 3 times before departing off the east side of the runway. The airplane then traveled about 30 feet and impacted a ditch.
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: 85 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GGF Grant NE
- Destination: GGF
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.