Cessna 140A accident near Mooresville, North Carolina, March 6, 2012
On March 6, 2012 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 140A, registered N5693C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mooresville, North Carolina (Miller Air Park airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The separation of the left rudder cable turnbuckle and the pilot’s subsequent loss of directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 2012 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mooresville, North Carolina · Miller Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140A · all 140As on the register
- Registration
- N5693C · registry record · serial 15653
- 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 during the landing roll, the left rudder pedal suddenly "went slack" and moved forward to the firewall. He was unable to use the wheel brakes, and the tail slowly yawed to the left. The airplane skidded, the main landing gear failed, and the airplane came to a stop on the turf runway with substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed that the left rudder cable turnbuckle was disconnected and its safety wire was broken. The threads of the cable rod end were not stripped. The last annual inspection on the airframe was completed about 5 months before the accident.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Rudder control system › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all; 600 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 24, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,853 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 2011; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C90 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NC30 Mooresville NC at 8:00 pm
- Destination: NC30 Mooresville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,060 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.62 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from SVH, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.