Cessna 140 accident near Rangeley, Maine, August 8, 2025
On August 8, 2025 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N89351, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Rangeley, Maine (Stephen A Bean Muni 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and subsequent nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2025 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rangeley, Maine · Stephen A Bean Muni · 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
- N89351 · registry record · serial 8379
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot stated that while landing, the airplane bounced hard upon touchdown. After the bounce, the airplane veered off the side of the runway into the grass. The pilot tried to gain altitude but was unable, so he "cut" the engine. The airplane hit a bump and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, forward fuselage, tail and engine mount. The pilot did not report any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Hard landing during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,299 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 am from BML, 33 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KBML 081352Z AUTO 00000KT 7SM CLR 24/17 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP255 T02390167 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA25LA304.