Cessna 140 accident near Farmington, New Mexico, May 28, 1999
On May 28, 1999 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N89586, was substantially damaged in an accident near Farmington, New Mexico (Four Corners Regional airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive use of rudder while attempting to correct for loss of directional control. Factors were the pilot's loss of directional control, and his lack of experience in the type of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1999 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Farmington, New Mexico · Four Corners Regional · 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
- N89586 · registry record · serial 8629
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he raised the tail for takeoff at an indicated airspeed of 35 mph. The nose of the airplane pulled to the right and he over corrected with left rudder. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck the 5,000 foot marker. The right main landing gear buckled and the right wing contacted the ground, causing substantial wing damage. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and found no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. At the time of the accident the wind was variable at 5 knots. Although the pilot reported he had accumulated 73 hours total flight time, 40 hours of which were in the Cessna 140, he had acquired only 3 hours of pilot in command time, all of which were in the airplane make and model.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 73 hours in all; 6 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,832 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1998; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FMN at 5:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 6,702 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from FMN
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN99LA088.