Cessna 140 accident near Winterville, North Carolina, September 28, 2022
On September 28, 2022 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1947 Cessna 140, registered N2509N, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Winterville, North Carolina (South Oaks Aerodrome airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing. A factor in the accident was the instructor’s delayed remedial action which resulted in an inability to recover the airplane from an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2022 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winterville, North Carolina · South Oaks Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140, built 1947 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N2509N · no longer on the register · serial 12766
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, the student pilot was high on the approach but he allowed her to continue as he determined the landing was achievable based on visual references and cues. The student performed the landing flare, the airplane “hit hard and bounced quite high,” and the airplane pitched nose up to about a 45-degree angle. The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane, pushed the nose downward and applied full engine power to recover from the “imminent stall.” The flight instructor explained that the airplane lacked the power, airspeed, and altitude to outclimb the trees to its front and continued to fly the airplane “right at stall speed” until it settled into an area of small trees and heavy brush beyond the departure end of the landing runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and wings, and minor injuries to the occupants.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,523 hours in all; 137 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 18 hours in all; 5.5 in this make and model
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,633.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2022; 25.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12F (piston); 36 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 1,850 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from KPGV, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPGV 281955Z AUTO 01005KT 10SM CLR 23/05 A3013 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on May 11, 2023. 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 Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Police Report with Statements | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records Annual Inspection | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N2509N 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.