Cessna 140 accident near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, July 25, 2021
On July 25, 2021 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1946 Cessna 140, registered N76596, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg Muni 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 loss of directional control during the landing rollout, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2021 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania · Bloomsburg Muni · 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
- N76596 · registry record · serial 11036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and was flying with a flight instructor to meet his insurance company requirements and to become familiar with the aircraft. He reported that during the landing rollout, the flight instructor told him to utilize the brake, since the aircraft was starting to turn and they “were running out of rudder.” The airplane then veered to the left and nearly came to a stop but departed the runway and descended an embankment, impacted terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The flight instructor reported that when the airplane began to yaw left, he instructed the pilot to utilize the brakes and he simultaneously applied full right rudder but could not arrest the yawing motion. The airplane was not equipped with brake controls for the right seat position. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,350 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 7, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,024 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,324 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 2020; 17.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12F (piston); 3,324 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,200 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.91 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from SEG, 22 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSEG 251453Z AUTO VRB04KT 10SM BKN037 OVC043 25/21 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP123 T02500211 55002=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on May 5, 2022. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot and Flight Instructor Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Supplemental Information from Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record - Information from FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Maintenance Records Excerpts | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 2 pages | 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.